Post-harvest pod storage: A method for pulp preconditioning to impair strong nib acidification during cocoa fermentation in Malaysia

In Malaysia, pulp preconditioning by post-harvest storage of cocoa pods leads to the reduction of nib acidification during subsequent fermentation, reduction of the acid note and an increase in cocoa flavour in the resulting raw cocoa. Data from several shallow-box fermentations, with material from unstored and stored pods, are compared and interpreted, obtained in the years 1984 to 1987 in a cooperational investigation of the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Malaysia, and the Botanical Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig (TUBS), FRG. Prior to and during fermentation, pulp volume and pulp sugars; pH value, acetic acid and lactic acid content in the pulp and nibs; and oxygen concentration and temperature in the mass were determined. Some flavour assessments from selected samples are given. The great reduction in pulp volume per seed rather than the decrease of pulp sugars per seed during pod storage was found to be of the most importance. Pulp-volume reduction enhances mass aeration and increases the ratio of respiration to ethanol fermentation and its subsequent oxidation to acetic acid. As a consequence, the acidification of the seeds during the formative stages of flavour precursors (after the death of the seeds) is strongly reduced. With effectively dry stored pods (pulp volume per gram of seed ≤0·6 ml) the anaerobic phase during the initial stages of fermentation which is common with unstored pods is suppressed. Under these conditions the nib pH value does not fall below 5·0 and no drastic acid (and flavour) degradation at the end of fermentation is necessary to reduce the acidity in the seeds.     

Unearthing the determinants of Blockchain adoption in supply chain management

The behavioural intention to adopt Blockchain for supply chain management (BCSCM) is studied in this paper. The research framework adopted considers how Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Facilitating Condition (FC), Technology Readiness (TR), Technology Affinity (TA) and Trust (TT) can lead to the adoption of the technology. Data gathered from 157 firms is analysed using SPSS version 2 while the quality of the measurement is tested using WarpPLS. Findings revealed that FC, TR and TA have a positive influence on intention to use BCSCM and regulatory support moderates the effect of FC. This study offers valuable insights into the applicability of Blockchain technology for supply chain management.     

Assessment of mercury level in commonly consumed marine fishes in Malaysia

Twelve species of common marine fish consumed by Malaysians were collected from local wholesale market in Malaysia; the mercury concentrations in muscle and liver samples were determined by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The mercury concentration in the samples, expressed in μg g⁻¹ dry weight. It was 0.45 for short-bodied mackerel, 0.04 for scad, 0.04 for narrow-bodied Spanish mackerel, 0.13 for black pomfret, 0.50 for long tail tuna, 0.03 for greasy grouper, 0.09 for chacunda gizzard shad, 0.06 for yellow-banded scad, 0.05 for eastern little tuna, 0.09 for delagoa treadfish bream, 0.10 for giant perch and 0.00 for sardine’s muscle tissue. Among the fishes analyzed, long tail tuna had the highest level followed by short-bodied mackerel. Significantly lower levels (P < 0.05) of mercury were found in liver tissues. Total mercury concentration in liver tissues were as follow; 0.03 for short-bodied mackerel, 0.02 for scad, 0.05 for narrow-bodied Spanish mackerel, 0.10 for black pomfret, 0.49 for long tail tuna, 0.03 for greasy grouper, 0.03 for chacunda gizzard shad, 0.04 for yellow-banded scad, 0.02 for eastern little tuna, 0.09 for delagoa treadfish bream, 0.01 for giant perch and 0.01 for sardine. This study indicates that commonly consumed fish from Malaysia have concentrations of mercury below the permissible levels stated in the US FDA guidelines.     

私立高等教育财政资助政策的国际比较研究—以韩国、马来西亚、菲律宾为例

国际经验已充分证明,私立高等教育的发展态势与政府资助多寡高度正相关。以私立高等教育比较发达的韩国、马来西亚和菲律宾为例,三国政府均以法律的形式确立了私立高等教育财政资助政策,以扶植、规范私立高等教育的发展,而且政府资助已逐渐成为保障私立高等教育质量、实现教育公平的有力工具。反观我国,尽管近些年来民办院校已成为我国高等教育大众化的重要推动力量,但经费筹措问题仍旧是民办院校面临的重大困境之一。因此,为充分发挥民办高等教育的主体作用,我国政府应加大对民办高等教育的资助力度,建立基于质量评估结果的政府资助体系,提高资助效率。     

巴贡水电站工程设计综述

巴贡(Bakun)水电站位于马来西亚沙捞越州,混凝土面板堆石坝最大坝高205 m,水电站总装机容量2 400 MW,是东南亚地区最大的水电工程。本文对巴贡水电站的总体设计进行了叙述,对工程建设施工过程中采用的一些较新设计进行了介绍,旨在为水电站建设的发展提供借鉴。     

Geostatistical economic evaluation of industrial minerals (Malaysia)

ABSTRACT

With escalating production costs and the keen competitiveness of the industrial mineral industry worldwide, the necessity to increase the reliability and decrease the cost for economic mineral evaluation is further gaining prominence. There is thus a need for an efficient and reliable statistical information technology technique for cost optimisation and reliability assessment in the economic evaluation phase. Geostatistics, a collection of statistical information technology techniques, can assist to increase the reliability and optimise the costs for economic mineral evaluation and thus the eventual success of the resource production project. This technical article discusses the application of a well established geostatistical technique in optimising sampling interval costs while still providing acceptably accurate economic evaluation of industrial mineral deposits. The realisation of improved confidence levels using geostatistics assists in decreasing the risks in the planning and management of extracting industrial mineral deposits. Case studies on clay deposits are used to illustrate the practicality in the usage of geostatistics for systematic economic evaluation.     

Optimal sizing of building integrated hybrid PV/diesel generator system for zero load rejection for Malaysia

In this research, an optimisation for building integrated hybrid PV/diesel generator system for zero load rejection for Malaysia is performed. The optimisation is performed considering a loss-of-load probability (LLP) less than 0.01. However, the daily averages of solar energy for Malaysia and a mathematical model of a hybrid PV/diesel generator system are used in this optimisation. The optimisation presented in this paper aims to calculate the optimum capacities of a PV array and diesel generator, which investigate the minimum system cost. An optimisation problem in terms of system units’ cost is solved graphically in this study. Moreover, the optimised system is compared to other energy source choices to highlight its feasibility. The recommended configuration of a PV/diesel system located in Malaysia is C_A = 1.2, C_DG = 0.3, while the optimum C_B is 0.1. The results of the optimisation show that a PV/diesel generator choice is more feasible compared to a standalone PV system or diesel generator system because it reduces the system cost by 35%.