Aim:This study was revealed the potential of Peperomia pellucida leaf extract as an immunostimulator agent in controlling motile aeromonad septicemia due to Aeromonas hydrophila in red hybrid tilapia, Oreochromis sp.Materials and Methods:In the present study, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of P. pellucida leaf extract against A. hydrophila was determined through two-fold microbroth dilution method. The plant extract was screening for its active compound using a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer, and the effectiveness of P. pellucida leaf extract as an immunostimulator agent was evaluated. The experimental fish were fed with medicated feed at three different concentrations (25 mg/kg, PP-25; 50 mg/kg, PP-50; and 100 mg/kg, PP-100) of P. pellucida leaf extract for 1 week before they were intraperitoneally exposed to A. hydrophila. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was carried out to determine the value of antibody response to A. hydrophila in fish from a group of fish that received medicated feed, and the percentage of total cumulative mortality of the experimental fish were observed at the end of the experiment.Results:The results showed that the major bioactive compound is phytol (40%), and the MIC value was 31.5 mg/L. The value of antibody response to A. hydrophila in fish from a group of fish which received medicated feed (PP-25, 0.128±0.014 optical density [OD]; PP-50, 0.132±0.003 OD; and PP-100, 0.171±0.02 OD) was found significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to fish did not receive medicated feed (0.00 OD). Whereas, percentage cumulative mortality of fish from all groups of fish received medicated feed (PP-25, 18.0±3.2%; PP-50, 18.2±2.8%; and PP-100, 17.7±1.8%) were found significantly lower (p<0.05) compared to a group of fish did not receive medicated feed (83.2±1.4%).Conclusion:The findings of the present study indicated the huge potential of P. pellucida leaf extract as natural immunostimulator agent for aquaculture uses.

Maitake (Grifola frondosa) mycelia contain high dietary and medicinal values that have gained great attentions from consumers. Proper drying can preserve their bio-availabilities prior to subsequent processing or consumption. Pure Maitake (Grifola frondosa) strain was cultivated in Mushroom Complete Medium (MCM) using submerged fermentation for 14 days. Maitake mycelia were harvested and treated respectively by vacuum, oven drying treatments while the fresh mycelia were assigned as control. All the samples were tested for Total Phenolic Content, DPPH radical scavenging assays and nutritional contents. Submerged fermentation produced mycelia biomass (1.3 ± 0.1 g/L) within 14 days of fermentation. Both the pH and reduced sugar content had decreased (P < 0.05) throughout fermentation. Vacuum dried mycelia had shown higher (P < 0.05) total phenolic (20.0 ± 0.4 mg GAE/g), DPPH radical scavenging activity (84.7 ± 0.1%), and soluble protein content (283.6 ± 7.1 µg/mL) as compared to other treated samples. The crude protein (39.1 ± 0.2), fat (5.7 ± 0.7), ash (11.1 ± 0.3%) of mycelia were well preserved using vacuum drying as compared to oven dried samples. The study has suggested that vacuum drying at 70 °C, 1000mBar has the advantage to preserve the nutritional and radical scavenging activity of high value maitake mycelia effectively at lower cost.Keywords: DPPH radical scavenging; maitake mycelia; submerged fermentation; total soluble protein; vacuum drying.Practical Application: Cultivation of high value maitake biomass via submerged fermentation within shorter time at desirable yield. The use of vacuum drying at 70 °C, 1000 mBar to preserve its bioactive and nutritional compositions of maitake mycelia which can be considered as cost efficient dehydration unit for subsequent post-harvest or downstream process.

The chemical and microbiological changes during spontaneous budu fermentation were elucidated on monthly basis (1-12 months). A signifi cant increase (P<0.05) in pH, acidity, soluble protein, total protein, and moisture content was observed during budu fermentation, except for the fat content. The total microbial load decreased gradually from the initial of 6.13±0.01 to 3.45±0.13 log CFU g -1 after 12 months of fermentation. Overall, 150 isolates were identifi ed, with a majority of bacteria (77%), followed by yeasts (12%) and 11% of unconfi rmed species. Micrococcus luteus was the predominant strain that initiated the fermentation before it was replaced by Staphylococcus arlettae that exists throughout the fermentation. This study confi rmed that lactic acid bacteria and yeasts often coexist with other microorganisms, even though a microbiological succession usually takes place both between and within species, which shaped the chemical and sensory characteristics of the fi nal product. In addition, some of the isolates could be potentially valuable as starter cultures for further improved and controllable budu fermentation.Keywords: budu fermentation, fi sh sauce, microbial succession, diversity, spontaneous fermentation Fish sauce is a clear brown liquid seasoning produced via fermentation of heavily salted fi sh materials in most of the Southeast Asia countries. It is widely used as salt replacer or fl avour enhancer in most prepared foods and sauces of Japanese and western markets, resulting from a balance of amino acids and high quantities of peptides (FUKAMI et al., 2004). However, due to its distinctive odour, the application is restricted to home cooked foods and prepared foods. It has various names depending on the country from which it is produced, such as nampla (Thailand), bakasang (Indonesia), yu-lu (China), patis (Philippines), ngapi (Burma), shotshuru (Japan), aekjeot (Korea), and budu (Malaysia). Many studies related to fi sh sauce fermentation and products were conducted, including the reduction of histamine in fi sh sauce using rice bran nuka (KUDA & MIYAWAKI, 2010); controlled fermentation of chum salmon sauce using starter cultures (YOSHIKAWA et al., 2010), and the production of plaa-som (Thai light fermented fi sh product) using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) starters (SAITONG et al., 2010). Fish proteins are gradually hydrolysed by both bacterial and fi sh proteinases during fermentation. This process relies on natural fortuitous microorganisms with strong degradation and hydrolysis capabilities, including Bacillus, Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and halophilic lactic acid bacteria (THONGTHAI et al., 1992). These bacteria could play a signifi cant role in the bioconversion of fi sh substrate into fi sh sauce with delighted colour, fl avour, and aroma. However, the inconsistent product quality and extremely long fermentation time are among the factors that limit the growth of fi sh sauce industries. Many attempts have been made

Researchers are actively exploring the locally available fruits that may use for therapeutic remedies. Eleiodoxa conferta is an underutilized Malaysian fruit. This study was conducted to examine bioactive compounds and toxicity activities of different parts of E. conferta using 100% ethanol, 50% ethanol, and water for extraction. Results showed that Ethanol (50% v/v) was the best extraction solvent. The highest and lowest yield shown in the flesh extract and seed extract at 39.247% and 4.89%, respectively. The peel of E. conferta always showed higher Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) as compared to other parts of the plant. Phytochemical compounds such as flavonoids, phenol, tannin, to name a few, were abundantly present in most extractions. The toxicity screening revealed that the toxicity level was high in the seed part of E. conferta while low toxicity shown in the flesh of the fruit. Overall, this fruit is rich in bioactivities. Further studies can be done to uncover its true potential application, especially the application of those bioactive components as antimicrobial agents in preserving food.