Background: Human milk provided by healthy, well-nourished mothers represents the best food available for infants. Human milk is species-specific and recommended as the sole source of nutrition for the first 6 months of life and is an important food source until the infants reach 2 years of life. Unlike infant formula, which has a standardized composition, human milk composition varies among and within women. Aim: While many studies of human milk composition have been conducted, none have been done among the Orang Asli people in Malaysia. Hence, this study protocol is designed to determine the human milk composition of the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia and how the transition of culture, nutrition, and different lifestyle experiences will affect the nutrient content of their milk. Methods: Quantitative (interviewer-administered questionnaire) and qualitative (focus group discussion) approaches will be employed in this study and in addition, laboratory works will also be carried out to analyze the nutrient composition of the milk samples collected from various Orang Asli subethnic groups in Peninsular Malaysia. Conclusion: Standardized, multipopulation studies of human milk composition are sorely needed to create a rigorous, comprehensive reference inclusive of nutrients and other factors. The establishment of any dietary parameters positively affecting the nutrient content of human milk may help design healthcare strategies in Malaysia to improve the quality of human milk and therefore the infants' health status.
Wheat is an important crop, used as staple food in numerous countries around the world. However, wheat productivity is low in the developing world due to several biotic and abiotic stresses, particularly drought stress. Non-availability of drought-tolerant wheat genotypes at different growth stages is the major constraint in improving wheat productivity in the developing world. Therefore, screening/developing drought-tolerant genotypes at different growth stages could improve the productivity of wheat. This study assessed seed germination and seedling growth of eight wheat genotypes under polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced stress. Two PEG-induced osmotic potentials (i.e., -0.6 and -1.2 MPa) were included in the study along with control (0 MPa). Wheat genotypes included in the study were 'KLR-16', 'B6', 'J10', '716', 'A12', 'Seher', 'KTDH-16', and 'J4'. Data relating to seed germination percentage, root and shoot length, fresh and dry weight of roots and shoot, root/shoot length ratio and chlorophyll content were recorded. The studied parameters were significantly altered by individual and interactive effects of genotypes and PEG-induced osmotic potentials. Seed germination and growth parameters were reduced by osmotic potentials; however, huge differences were noted among genotypes. A reduction of 32.83 to 53.50% was recorded in seed germination, 24.611 to 47.75% in root length, 37.83 to 53.72% in shoot length, and 53.35 to 65.16% in root fresh weight. The genotypes, 'J4', 'KLR-16' and 'KTDH-16', particularly 'J4' better tolerated increasing osmotic potentials compared to the rest of the genotypes included in the study. Principal component analysis segregated these genotypes from the rest of the genotypes included in the study indicated that these can be used in the future studies to improve the drought tolerance of wheat crop. The genotype 'J4' can be used as a breeding material to develop drought resistant wheat genotypes.