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Oyster mushroom is a popular mushroom due to its nutritional, medicinal and potential commercial value. In Malaysia, the fungus is currently cultivated on sawdust and rice husk. In this study, the efficiency of cultivating oyster mushroom was assessed using palm oil mesocarp fibre as a substrate. The experiment consisted of four samples; sample A (composed of 100% mesocarp fibre), sample B (composed of 88% fiber,10% rice bran and 2% lime), sample C (composed of 85% fiber,10% rice bran and 5% lime), and sample D (composed of 50% fibre, 10% rice bran, 38% sawdust and 2% lime). Different spawn running time was determined and fruiting bodies were also observed. Results indicate that samples B, C, and D fruiting bodies were higher and better than that in sample A, thus establishing that palm oil fibre served as a good substrate for the cultivation of Pleurotus spp. A further study on the protein composition of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus spp.) is however suggested.

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Introduction:The paper addresses the effect of revibration on the flexural strength of reinforced-concrete beams using mahogany sawdust ash (MSDA) as a partial replacement for ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Beam specimens of sizes 150 mm x 150 mm x 600 mm reinforced with 12 mm diameter steel bars (Y12) and 8 mm diameter steel bars (Y8) as links, were used to cast each of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% replacements of cement for SDA. The beams were revibrated after the initial vibration for 20 s at 10-minute successions within one hour. Fifty beams were cast in total and cured for 28 days: 35 revibrated and 15 non-revibrated. Methods: Based on the chemical analysis of MSDA, the following major chemical oxides were found in cement: SiO2 (39.87%), Al2O3 (18.05%), Fe2O3 (6.92%). Flexural strength tests were carried out for each beam using the three-point load method, and the result shows that the peak flexural strength occurred at 0% followed by 5% replacement at the 20-minute revibration time interval. The revibrated beams show the peak flexural strength of 10.50 N/mm2 and 10.00 N/mm2 at the 20th minute for 0% and 5% replacements; for the nonrevibrated beams, 8 N/mm2 and 7 N/mm2 were obtained for 0% and 5% replacements, respectively. Results: According to the flexural strength test results, revibration has improved the flexural strength of the concrete beams produced, and MSDA as pozzolana is recommended to comfortably replace cement by not more than 5%.