RESUMEN
Lignin is a natural biopolymer with a complex three-dimensional network and it is rich in phenol, making it a good candidate for the production of bio-based polyphenol material. This study attempts to characterize the properties of green phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins produced through phenol substitution by the phenolated lignin (PL) and bio-oil (BO), extracted from oil palm empty fruit bunch black liquor. Mixtures of PF with varied substitution rates of PL and BO were prepared by heating a mixture of phenol-phenol substitute with 30 wt.% NaOH and 80% formaldehyde solution at 94 °C for 15 min. After that, the temperature was reduced to 80 °C before the remaining 20% formaldehyde solution was added. The reaction was carried out by heating the mixture to 94 °C once more, holding it for 25 min, and then rapidly lowering the temperature to 60 °C, to produce the PL-PF or BO-PF resins. The modified resins were then tested for pH, viscosity, solid content, FTIR, and TGA. Results revealed that the substitution of 5% PL into PF resins is enough to improve its physical properties. The PL-PF resin production process was also deemed environmentally beneficial, as it met 7 of the 8 Green Chemistry Principle evaluation criteria.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Feeding practices exert a definite influence over children's experiences. This article aims to explore parental feeding practices and investigate the prediction domain of food preference from parent-child perspectives. METHODS: Two individual studies were conducted on Malay families with children aged 7-12 years. In Study 1, mothers (n = 17) participated in semi-structured focus group interviews on their knowledge of foods and feeding practices. In Study 2, parent-child pairs (n = 14) answered a 36-item, 5-point Likert scale Food Preference Questionnaire followed by virtual structured qualitative interviews. The interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, back-translated and analysed according to the framework analysis technique. RESULTS: In Study 1, mothers perceived vegetables, chicken, fish and plain water as healthy foods and drinks while discretionary options were snacks, fast foods and carbonated drinks. The mothers defined healthy foods as foods handled safely with health benefits. They used 'healthy' cooking methods to prepare preferred foods and overtly controlled the child's access to discretionary food. In Study 2, the food groups reported by parent-child pair's report were consistent for the most preferred foods [snacks, median (interquartile range), parent: 4.5 (1.0) vs. child: 4.5 (0.0), p > 0.05] and least preferred food [legumes, parent: 2.0 (1.0) vs. child: 2.0 (1.0), p > 0.05]. Parents emphasized taste as the key determinant of food preference. CONCLUSION: These studies were the first to qualitatively explore parents' perceptions of foods affecting their feeding practices among the Malaysian community to highlight the cultural contribution. Key insights into children's food intake and factors influencing their food preferences were identified.
