Antibacterial activity ofEurycoma longifoliajzck a Malaysian medicinal plant

To evaluate methanolic, ethanolic, acetone and aqueous extracts from different parts ofEurycoma longifolia [E. longifolia] [leave, stem, and root] for antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and to utilize the leaves and stem parts rather than the root, which is already used for male sexual enhancement in Malaysia. The study took place in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Biotechnology Engineering Department, Malaysia between January 2005 and June 2006. Methanolic, ethanolic, acetone and aqueous extracts of leaves, stems and roots of E. longifolia were investigated for their antibacterial properties using Agar-well diffusion method. The alcoholic and acetone extracts of the leaves and stem extracts were active on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria except against 2 strains of Gram-negative bacteria [Escherichia coli and Salmonella typh'i]. The root extracts had no antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria tested. Aqueous leaves extract showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Serratia marscesens. The alcoholic and acetone extracts from leaves and stems of E. longifolia contain potent antibacterial agent[s]. This plant can serve as a potential source of antibacterial compounds

use of a molecular technique for the detection of porcine ingredients in the Malaysian food market

To develop a molecular technique that is fast and reliable in detecting porcine contamination or ingredients in foods. The method applied involved DNA amplification using polymerase chain reaction [PCR] technology. Thus, the sequence of a certain gene found uniquely in pork was identified and its sequence was used to design specific primers for the PCR. The extraction of DNA was optimized in respect to PCR and detection limits were established. The optimized method was then used to identify pork in food products obtained from various local hypermarkets. The latest results were confirmed in triplicates on the 20th April 2006 at the Molecular Biology Laboratory, International Islamic University, Malaysia. The method was shown to be robust and reliable. Out of 30 food samples not expected to contain pork material, 3 samples were shown to be contaminated with pork material; 2 chocolates and one chicken nugget. We observed that 2 food products that were labeled as halal showed positive for porcine ingredients, while another that did not have any halal logo but originated from outside Malaysia and exported to many Middle Eastern nations also showed positive