The physico‐chemical characteristics of roselle from Malaysia were studied. The parameters analysed included size, weight, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, anthocyanin contents, organic acids and sugars. Succinic and oxalic acids were the predominant organic acids found in roselle while glucose was the major sugar present. The present study was also conducted to determine and quantify the most biologically effective natural antioxidants present in roselle. Ascorbic acid, β‐carotene and lycopene, were separated, identified and quantified by HPLC. The amounts of ascorbic acid, β‐carotene and lycopene contents were 141.09mg/100g, 1.88mg/100g and 164.34μg/100g, respectively. The individual anthocyanin in roselle was characterised by TLC and HPLC. Delphinidin‐3‐sambubioside and cyanidin‐3‐sambubioside were the main anthocyanin present in roselle.

Roselle has regained the attention of many fruit juice manufacturers in Malaysia as a product that contains high ascorbic acid and anthocyanins. However, ascorbic acid and anthocyanin pigments can be easily destroyed during processing of fruit juice. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of different processing methods, namely hot water extraction (HWE), hot water blending, cold water blending and screw press, on the changes in anthocyanins and ascorbic acid contents of roselle juice were evaluated. The anthocyanins and ascorbic acid contents of roselle were determined using the pH differential method and high-performance liquid chromatography respectively. The physico-chemical characteristics and sensory properties of roselle juice were also evaluated. The results of the study indicate that the HWE method is the most effective extraction method, resulting in high anthocyanins and ascorbic acid contents of 43 g l −1 (as delphinidin-3-glucoside) and 2.34 g kg −1 respectively. The optimum juice extraction conditions were 3.5 h at 60 • C.

SUMMARYBio-hydrogen renowned as a future potential hydrogen source and studies were devoted in developing the efficient way to obtain the hydrogen. Biomass gasification of Azadirachta excelsa wood was carried out with addition of naturally derived CaO catalyst using temperature-programmed gasification (TPG) technique. The reaction (TPG) was performed at 50-1000 C in 5% O 2 /He with flow rate 10 ml/min, and the product gas evolution (H 2 , CH 4 , CO and CO 2 ) was detected by online mass spectrometer. The waste eggshell was chosen as a natural source of CaO, and the effect of catalyst loading was investigated in this study. All the fresh and used catalysts were characterized, and the physicochemical changes of the eggshell were observed through scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction techniques. Hydrogen yield were increased along with the catalyst loading (20%, 40% and 60%) from 57 to 73%, respectively, compared to the reaction without catalyst. The additions of waste eggshell enhanced the catalytic activity and suppressed CO 2 production through CaO absorption property which induced the water gas shift reaction that promotes H 2 production at lower temperature.