Ficus deltoidea leaves were widely used as a tea beverages in Malaysia with no information of its mineral content. Hence the mineral content of two species of Ficus deltoidea leaves were investigated. The dried leaves of F. deltoidea var. angustifolia and F. deltoidea var. deltoidea were acid digested and mineral elements of Na, Mg, K, Ca, Mn, Cr, Fe and Zn were determined using ICP–MS. Magnesium, potassium, sodium, manganese, iron and zinc were found to be present in the leaves of F. deltoidea var. angustifolia and F. deltoidea var. deltoidea. Concentration of magnesium (1934 mg/L), manganese (58.37 mg/L), iron (6.89 mg/L) and zinc (1.77 mg/L) in F. deltoidea var. deltoidea species were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than in F. deltoidea var. angustifolia species with concentration of 317 mg/L, 29.62 mg/L, 4.55 mg/L and 1.26 mg/L for magnesium, manganese, iron and zinc respectively. Meanwhile, concentration of sodium in F. deltoidea var. deltoidea species (3.13 mg/L) was found to be significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the concentration in F. deltoidea var. angustifolia species (9.11 mg/L). The finding showed that the leaves of F. deltoidea var. deltoidea has higher nutritional value than the leaves of F. deltoidea var. angustifolia. Leaves of Ficus deltoidea especially the F. deltoidea var. deltoidea species contain high amount of magnesium, manganese and potassium. Therefore, tea made of this leaves can be served as a good source of minerals for human consumption.
Herbal-based slimming products which are consumed orally may be contaminated with heavy metals as well as
microorganisms. This study aimed to evaluate the safety level of these slimming products by determining heavy metals
and microbial contamination in different batch production. Six different brands of herbal-based slimming products (A, B,
C, G, H and I) with three different batch productions (1, 2 and 3) were investigated (n =18). Five heavy metals Arsenic,
Cadmium, Chromium, Copper and Zinc were determined using an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry
(ICP-MS). The presence of microorganisms was determined by total aerobic count and the bacteria were identified. The
samples’ moisture content was determined by calculating the percentage of water loss after drying process. All batches
of samples A and B had high content of zinc, over the permissible level of 5ppm while, 6 samples contained Chromium
above the permissible level (1.5 ppm). All 3 batches of sample A presented with the highest total daily intake of heavy
metals. Bacteria were present in all the samples tested with the highest numbers in samples G, H and A followed by
B, I and C. The highest number of fungi was found in product A while product I was free from fungal contamination.
Aspergillus spp. was the predominant fungus present in the samples. There was a weak correlation between moisture
content and bacteria (r = 0.087) and fungal (r = 0.253) presence in the samples. As some herbal slimming products
contain heavy metals as well as microorganisms, consumers need to be more vigilant and discerning when selecting
products to be consumed.
Salmonella spp. is a pathogenic microbial contaminant in beef of worldwide importance. It has the ability to colonize
the gastrointestinal tract of animals without producing any clinical sign. It may lead to infections in human when the
contaminated meat was consumed. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the contamination of Salmonella spp.
on beef carcasses and meat contact surfaces at selected abattoirs in Selangor, Malaysia. A total of 152 swabs from beef
carcasses (n = 104) and meat contact surfaces (n = 48) were collected from the selected abattoirs in October 2015 to
June 2016. The collected samples were examined for total viable count and prevalence of Salmonella spp. Salmonellapositive
samples were confirmed by routine biochemical tests and Gram staining. The results showed that all samples
contained an average viable count of 4.56 ± 1.23 Log CFU/cm2
. The overall prevalence of Salmonella spp. was 21.05%
which beef carcasses and meat contact surfaces contributed 11.18% and 9.87%, respectively to the overall prevalence.
The prevalence of Salmonella spp. on meat contact surfaces was higher than that on beef carcasses could be attributed
to poor hygienic practices at the abattoirs. However, despite a lower prevalence of Salmonella spp. on the beef carcasses,
beef could still be a potential vehicle for foodborne infections. This study suggests implementation of preventive measures
and good hygienic practices at abattoirs in order to avoid cross-contamination on beef prepared for retail markets.
Microbiological contaminations in the laboratories create not only diagnostic issues but also pose a major health risk to lab users. This study was conducted to determine the airborne microbial contamination in seven selected laboratories (KA, KP, PB, NA, BP, CR and MB) at a local public university in Malaysia and to assess the level of contamination on the contact surfaces of the studied laboratories. Two types of sampling methods were used in this study; passive air sampling and contact surface swab sampling. The total microbial counts were determined using Tryptone Soya agar (bacterial count) and Potato Dextrose agar (fungal count). Results showed that NA laboratory had the highest level of total microbial contamination (20.33 ± 3.35 CFU/cm3). Most laboratories had significantly higher (p < 0.05) air fungal contamination level compared to bacterial contaminations except for PB and NA laboratories. Significant differences were observed for airborne bacterial contamination readings between sampling time (during working hours vs after hours) for all laboratories except for BP and CR. Overall, bacterial contamination was the highest for incubator door handles’ samples from MB laboratory with an average reading of 93.00 ± 1.43 CFU/cm2 whereas the highest fungal contamination level was obtained from door knobs and work benches, both from CR laboratory with an average reading of 73.33 ± 6.67 CFU/cm2 and 73.33 ± 0.58 CFU/cm2 respectively. Findings from this study could assist in monitoring the efficacy of the existing laboratory management systems namely on the good laboratory practices including aseptic techniques, care for laboratory hygiene and cross-contamination control practices by the laboratory users to ensure that the microbiological contaminations in the laboratories are minimized.