Proposal 1: APPLICATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FLAVOUR INGREDIENTS

In the field of food ingredients, few technical endeavours have posed greater opportunities than biotechnology. The demand of the natural and safe food ingredient such as flavour compounds and colorants has made the screening of natural sources of these compounds, and possible mass production at relatively low cost very important. Fermentation and enzyme technologies, both of which are fields of biotechnology, are obvious methods of producing flavouring ingredients and have been utilized as alternatives to extraction of flavouring compounds from their natural sources. A potentially viable alternatively technology is plant cell culture technology (plant biotechnology) which can be used in two ways to produce flavouring compound: plant improvement and in vitro production of the compounds, where plant cells are used in the same way microorganisms are used in fermentation processes. The new technologies of genetic and protein engineering will follow the above technologies as a consequence of a natural order of progression when genetically-modified microorganisms that are safe, and suitably modified enzymes are available for commercial operation.

Malaysia is endowed with plentiful natural resources one might exploit to produce flavouring ingredients of commercial value. In the proposed project, enzymes, microorganisms and flavour-bearing plant parts will be used as biocatalysts in the production of the materials. Proteases shall be used to hydrolyse under-utilised aquatic protein resources or wastes from the protein-based food processing industry (example fish, poultry, meat) into flavouring compounds, and into flavourful, nutritious and easily digestible protein hydrolysates that can be incorporated into toddlers foods and liquid/semi-liquid foods for invalids. In well a developed meat processing industry for instance, residual meat is removed from bones by enzymatic hydrolysis into food ingredients for food application in various food and feed industries. Microorganisms will also be used to produce food flavours from spent legumes and agricultural wastes. Two long-term projects will be carried out: application of plant cell culture technology for the production of 'kesom' and 'limau purut' flavour compounds.

There is ample room for other microorganisms, enzymes and plants to be studied for the production of flavour ingredients. Microorganisms that are present in our traditional fermented foods e.g tapai can be screened for potential flavour-producer. Enzymes associated with savoury flavour enhancement (such as the nucleases, phosphateses, nucleosidases and nucleodeaminases) have not been studied in the local research, and local plants that have been traditionally used to enhance food flavours such as kari and pandan flavour, have been little exploited.

Achievement

A. Production of protein hydrolysate from aquatic sources (UPM)

  1. To identify viable raw material

 

  1. to determine and optimize the production procedure base on the desirable characteristics such as yield, quality and time of production and
  2. to determine the suitability of the hydrolysate as an ingredient in various food applications.

B. Microbial fermentation using spent legume and agricultural wastes as substrates (USM)

  1. to select and identify potential indigenous microbial isolates for the production of flavouring compounds.
  2. to optimize the microbial fermentation processes in submerged culture systems
  3. to detect, identify and to extract the flavouring compounds of interest

C. Production of flavour compounds using plant cell culture technology: 'kesom' flavours (UKM)

  1. To ensure the sterility of cultures
  2. To establish the best growth hormone for 'kesom' callus induction and proliferation
  3. To establish the growth medium and conditions (e.g additives) for production of flavour
    compounds callus
  4. To develop a rapid detection method for the presence of aldehydes and terpenes in callus an
    cell suspension culture prior to GC-MS analysis

E. Production of flavour compounds using plant cell culture technology: nmau purut' flavours (MARDI).

  1. To develop technology for the production of flavour compounds from 'lirnau purut' using cell culture technology
  2. To utilise the flavour compounds produced in local food systems.

Objectives achieved

  • Raw material pretreatments and preparation
  • Sterilization of explants
  • Identification of suitable media for growth of explants
  • Reduction of browning using anti-oxidant
  • Identification of suitable plant hormone for callus induction and sub-culture
  • Identification of amino acids
  • Study on the suitable amino acids on the flavour formation
  • Extraction and identification of flavour compounds

Benefit of the Project

  1. Flavour compounds from various cources
  2. Technology development e.g plant cell culture technology, enzymatic hydrolysis, microbial fermentation
  3. Publication

Project Status

- Completed

Programme Leader : Associate Professor Dr. Hasanah M. Ghazali