Borneo Journal of Resource Science and Technology

A Review of Sea Turtle Awareness Programmes in Malaysia

ANASTASIA JIA LEI TING — 2025-06-26

Malaysia is blessed with important sea turtle nesting rookeries along its coasts. As the sea turtle population declines in the country, conservation efforts in the form of outreach are important to obtain support and civic engagement in this sector. To understand the sea turtle outreach efforts in Malaysia, the outreach programmes, programme types and strategies by Malaysian non-governmental organisations and government agencies are reviewed in this paper, by tracking their social media and websites between January 2023 and December 2024. The findings help conservation entities to identify respective outreach blind spots and take initiatives to improve wherever possible. Out of the 18 agencies analysed, 38.89% (7) conducted all four types of outreach programmes. Ecotourism and community outreach are the most commonly conducted programme types at 77.78% (14). Knowledge dissemination is employed by all organisations, while hands-on activities are used by 94.44% (17) organisations, and only 22.22% (4) of the organisations were found to employ knowledge application on top of the former two. This paper suggests that school and youth outreach programmes should be prioritised by more organisations, as pro-environmental attitudes are more easily shaped in younger participants. On top of that, all tracked organisations should continue in their efforts of employing multiple outreach strategies, ensuring the effectiveness of their programmes.

Influence of Monsoon Seasons on Seagrass Ecosystems on the Coast of Kota Kinabalu (Sabah, Malaysia)

MOHD AZAMUDDIN MOHD HASSAN — 2025-06-26

Seagrass beds in Kampung Kebagu, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, are notably affected by natural events and human activities. Seasonal monsoons particularly the Northeast Monsoon (NEM) and the Southwest Monsoon (SWM), intensify these effects, causing significant changes to the seagrass beds in a short period. This study aimed to determine seagrass coverage and leaf length during the NEM and SWM at Kampung Kebagu. The leaf length was focusing on the dominant species; Enhalus acoroides along the transect line. This study was conducted within a year from February 2023 until January 2024 to cover both monsoon periods. Seagrass coverage was estimated using 50 cm × 50 cm (0.25 m²) quadrat with every 5 m interval along the transect line. Field measurements and data collection were done in February 2023, March 2023, May 2023, July 2023, September 2023, November 2023, and January 2024. The NEM was divided into two phases: February to March 2023 (T1) and November 2023 to January 2024 (T3). The SWM, identified as T2, spanned from May to September 2023. Further analysis of seagrass coverage and leaf length using Two-Way ANOVA was done to find significant effects of month between the parameters. There were significant different between seagrass coverage and months (p < 0.05). Seagrass coverage declined significantly to 38 ± 23% during the NEM but rebounded to 80 ± 11% in July 2023 during the SWM. The average leaf length of E. acoroides reached 29 ± 8 cm in May 2023 but was reduced to just 7 ± 2 cm by January 2024. Although this study was limited to a single year, it effectively captured fluctuations in seagrass coverage and leaf length across different seasonal monsoons. These results provide baseline data on how monsoon-related environmental changes affect seagrass ecosystems in this region.

Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence Gene Profiles of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio cholera, and Vibrio alginolyticus Isolated from Commercial Shrimp Farm in Kuching, Sarawak

ELEXSON NILLIAN — 2025-06-26

In the management and treatment of Vibrio spp. infections in aquaculture, antibiotics have traditionally been used. Misuse of antibiotics, however, has led to the emergence of resistance strains. In this study, antibiotic susceptibility testing of 30 (n=30) Vibrio spp. isolates were performed by using 18 antibiotics, revealing resistance to at least two antibiotics. Antibiotics Ceftazidime, Meropenem, Gentamicin, Tetracycline, Nalidixic acid, Norfloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, and Chloramphenicol were 100% effective against all isolates of V. parahaemolyticus, V. cholerae, and V. alginolyticus. Meanwhile, 100% of V. parahaemolyticus and V. alginolyticus isolates were completely resistant to Penicillin G and Bacitracin, whereas 100% of V. cholerae isolates exhibited resistance to Penicillin G. The Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) indices of all isolates ranged from 0.11 to 0.33. The presence of isolates with MAR indices higher than 0.2 suggests potential contamination from sources with high antibiotic usage, such as wastewater or nearby agricultural and aquaculture activities. The findings highlight widespread antibiotic resistance among Vibrio spp., likely due to excessive antibiotics use in aquaculture settings. Additionally, virulence profile of each Vibrio spp. isolates was performed. While pathogenic potential is exhibited by some isolates, others lack key virulence genes associated with pathogenicity. All V. parahaemolyticus isolates showed the presence of tlh, toxR, and toxS genes, whille all V. cholerae isolates were positive with toxS, toxR, rtxA, and rtxC genes. None of the V. alginolyticus showed the presence of the nine tested virulence genes. However, given the high frequency of horizontal gene transfer among bacterial populations, continuous and comprehensive monitoring is crucial to prevent the spread of virulence genes between pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains. Therefore, continuous efforts to obtain more data on antibiotic resistance and bacterial virulence profiles in Sarawak is crucial for effective disease management and sustainable aquaculture practices.

Antifungal, Anti-Biofilm, and Anti-Phospholipase Effects of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacteriocins on Clinical Yeast Pathogens

ALI NABEEL AL-MIZEL — 2025-06-26

Yeast infections pose a significant challenge around the world, especially with the rising of antifungal drug resistance. This study investigates the antifungal, anti-biofilm and anti-phospholipase activity of bacteriocins produced by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa against 12 yeast isolates which were selected from 57 according to their high resistance to commonly used antifungal drugs, high biofilm production and phospholipase production. Additionally, this study tested the viability of the yeast cells tested after exposure to the bacteriocin. Forty P. aeruginosa isolates were tested and the most potent bacteriocin producing isolate was selected. The partially purified pyocins had high antifungal activity with a range of 40.57 µg ml^-1 to 81.15 µg ml^-1 minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against multiple clinical and drug resistant Candida and Cryptococcus isolates and surpassed the conventionally used antifungal drugs. It also possessed strong anti-biofilm activity, though its anti-phospholipase activity is varied and isolate dependent, and the viability of the yeast cells was significantly reduced. The high antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocin shows its potential as a therapeutic agent against yeast infections, especially those with high antifungal resistance and biofilm production. These findings can be beneficial to improve patients’ outcome as more novel antifungal therapeutic drugs are needed.

Optimization of Lactic Acid Fermentation Conditions for the Production of Antibacterial Peptides Targeting Pantoea spp. for Rice Leaf Blight Control

SITI NORAZURA JAMAL — 2025-06-26

This study aimed to optimize the production of antibacterial peptides from Bactronophorus thoracites via lactic acid fermentation, specifically focusing on Pantoea species to manage rice leaf blight. The main goal was to investigate sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches to address this agricultural disease using bioactive compounds derived from marine sources. The fermentation process was refined using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), producing highly reliable results confirmed by the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and strong determination coefficients (R² = 0.9952 for Pantoea ananatis and R² = 0.9967 for Pantoea stewartii). The optimized parameters included a 4-day fermentation duration, a 3% (w/v) glucose concentration, and a 0.92% (w/v) solid-to-water ratio. These conditions closely matched predictive models and were further validated by a residual standard error (RSE) of less than 5%. The study identified the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the bioactive peptides, determining that 125 µg/mL was effective against the target bacteria. The hydrolysates produced in this study show promise as a natural method to control rice leaf blight and may have broader applications in agricultural disease management. This research highlights the potential of optimized lactic acid fermentation to produce effective antimicrobial agents, contributing to sustainable agriculture and offering new biotechnological strategies for plant disease control.

Pharmacological Properties and Health Benefits of Aquilaria Leaf Extract: A Review of its Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, Antimicrobial, Anti-Inflammatory, and Gastrointestinal Regulation Effect

NADIA NABILA MOHD KODEEM — 2025-06-26

Aquilaria or Karas tree belongs to the Thymelaeaceae family, a famous agarwood producer. This plant is widely distributed in the Indomalesia region, including Malaysia. Recently, these plants have attracted the attention of researchers. Infected wood resin from Aquilaria plants, also known as agarwood, is widely used for perfume production, religious and medicinal purposes. Due to the long development time of the plants and the need to inoculate them to initiate agarwood resin production, farmers have sought an alternative source of income by marketing the leaves of the Aquilaria tree. Aquilaria leaves are also known to have antioxidant, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties and are commonly used to regulate the gastrointestinal tract. In contrast to the abundant benefits of the Aquilaria leaves, there were lacking reports on the cytotoxicity of the leaves and their extract. Therefore, this review investigates and points out the pharmacological properties of Aquilaria leaves, their human health benefits, and toxicity of the leaves based on the in-vitro and in-vivo studies as it is crucial for safety consumption and downstream applications, including food and beverages, pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industry.

The In Vitro Ovicidal Activity of Cassia alata Methanolic Extracts on Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Eggs

AZLINDA ABU BAKAR — 2025-06-26

The widespread use of chemical insecticides for controlling Aedes mosquitoes has resulted in the development of insecticide resistance, prompting the need for alternative solutions. Botanical insecticides have gained attention as a promising approach in modern pest control. This study focuses on evaluating the ovicidal effects of methanol extracts from Cassia alata leaves on Aedes mosquitoes. The extracts were produced through the maceration-filtration technique, followed by the preparation of various concentrations (0.05-2.00 mg/ml) These concentrations were then tested to assess their impact on the fertility and egg viability of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. From the results obtained in the bioassay on egg fertility and viability, a significant difference in fertility was observed between Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus (p<0.05, p = 0.044). However, no significant difference was observed in overall egg viability between the two species (p>0.05, p = 0.468). The LC50 and LC90 values for Ae. albopictus were 0.323 mg/ml and 5.280 mg/ml, respectively, which were lower than those for Ae. aegypti 0.560 mg/ml and 11.480 mg/ml. This indicates that, Ae. albopictus is more susceptible to the methanolic C. alata extracts. These findings suggest that C. alata extracts could be a viable alternative to chemical insecticides in mosquito control programs, particularly for targeting Ae. albopictus.

Physicochemical, Thermal, and Polymorphic Properties of Binary Blends from Bambangan Stearin and Palm Stearin

NORAZLINA MOHAMMAD RIDHWAN — 2025-06-26

Increasing demand for sustainable and functional fat alternatives in the food industry has prompted research into fat modification resulting in specialty fats production that can imitate cocoa butter. This study investigates the binary blends of bambangan and palm stearin, focusing on their physicochemical, thermal, and morphological properties. The blends were blended in five different ratios, with the addition of palm stearin not exceeding 30%. The results show that the iodine value (33.78 to 34.24 g iodine+/g), slip melting point (33.25 to 38.35 °C), and acid value (1.31 to 1.59 mgKOH/g) of the blends were influenced by the palm stearin content. The melting behaviour and crystallisation properties of the blends analysed using differential scanning calorimetry revealed an improved melting profile compared to the palm stearin. The binary blends exhibited desirable polymorphic transitions to the stable β(v) form, preferred for chocolate applications. Notably, the blend with 70% bambangan stearin and 30% palm stearin (BS5) demonstrated an improved triglyceride profile with a reduction of tripalmitin content and melting properties similar to cocoa butter, reducing the waxy texture typically associated with palm stearin. The findings suggest that BS5 produced from bambangan seed waste is a functional, cost-effective alternative confectionery product, offering stability and desirable thermal properties.

Volatile Components, Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of Komburongoh (Acorus calamus L.) Essential Oils as Potential Medicinal Herbs from Sabah, Malaysia

MOHAMMAD AMIL ZULHILMI BENJAMIN — 2025-06-26

Acorus calamus L., known for diverse therapeutic applications, was studied for its volatile components, antibacterial and antioxidant potential in essential oils from Sabah, Malaysia. Employing hydrodistillation with a Clevenger apparatus, the oils were analysed through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Antibacterial activity was assessed via disc diffusion against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli. Antioxidant properties were evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Both leaf and rhizome oils were rich in phenylpropanoids, oxygenated sesquiterpenes, and sesquiterpenes including α-asarone, γ-asarone, methyl isoeugenol, 6-epi-shyobunone, and (E)-β-farnesene. They demonstrated significant antibacterial activity at 400 µg/mL, while displaying lower DPPH (IC₅₀ = 28.20 ± 4.99 µg/mL) and excelling in the FRAP (150.12 ± 0.10 mg TE/g). This ongoing phytochemical analysis of A. calamus holds promise for enhancing quality control, ensuring safety, and validating its traditional applications.

Recognition of Sesquiterpenoids and Piperidine Alkamides as Two Discerning Metabolite Classes in the Fruits of Piper nigrum 'Semongok Aman'

MUHAMAD FARIS OSMAN — 2025-06-26

The Malaysian Pepper Board (MPB) has recommended the plantation of three over seven Piper nigrum L. cultivars, owing to their beneficial agronomic traits. Currently, distinction between the cultivars is assessed based on morphological characters. The MPB has also proposed the concept of monovarietal farm, which is believed to have the potential of strengthening the quality of pepper in the global market. However, there remains a need for a fair assessment of the specialised metabolites’ variation among P. nigrum cultivars in search of a cultivar with distinctive metabolites profile, which may be the most suitable candidate for the application of such concept. We hereby describe revised protocols aimed at minimising the oxidation of the fruits of five P. nigrum cultivars and reducing the experimental run time that allowed utilisation of the same samples in GC-MS and ¹H-NMR metabolomics. Subsequently, feature-based molecular network (FBMN) was used to verify the patterns observed in the principal component analysis (PCA) of the ¹H-NMR and GC-MS data. PCA of both datasets revealed that the clustering pattern of the five cultivars paralleled the origin of their parent plants, with the genetically more similar cultivars, 'Kuching', 'Semongok Emas', 'India', and 'Yong Petai', being closer to each other compared to 'Semongok Aman'. 'Semongok Aman' was found to contain a higher abundance of the sesquiterpenoids germacrene B and γ-elemene, as well as the piperidine alkamides piperine and its isomers. FBMN further highlighted the higher abundance of the two metabolite classes in the fruits of 'Semongok Aman'. 'Semongok Aman' might be a suitable cultivar for the implementation of monovarietal pepper farm concept owing to its distinctive metabolite profile.

Essential Oil from Citrus medica Waste and Its Repellent Activity Against Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)

NUR HISAM ZAMAKSHSHARI — 2025-06-26

Citrus medica is enriched with beneficial antioxidant agents and has promising potential as a mosquito repellent. Most commercial mosquito repellents contain N,N,-diethyl-3-methybenzamide (DEET), damaging the synthetic fabric and plastic, thus producing toxic reactions. This study was conducted to identify the application of C. medica peels as new mosquito repellents formulated using essential oil of C. medica peels. Methodologically, the essential oil of C. medica peels was extracted via hydro-distillation method and analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The insect repellent of C. medical essential oil nanoemulsion (EON) spray was formulated. This EON was further characterized and assessed for its stability as well as mosquito repellency properties. Major chemical constituents were successfully identified in C. medica peels, in which D-Limonene constituted almost 64.57%. The formulated EON was found to be slightly turbid, bluish-white, and isotropic. The pH of EON was 5.45, which was skin-friendly, with 0.8896 ± 0.0016 cP viscosity at 27 °C, which was lower than water (0.8539 cP). The conductivity readings (- 234V) used to establish the oil-in-water nanoemulsion were substantiated by spherical and homogenous shapes with no aggregation seen on a scanning electron microscope. From the repellency test, EON showed good potential with more than 70% mosquito repellency. In conclusion, mosquito repellents formulated from C. medica peel essential oil showed good mosquito repellency that effectively reduces vector-borne diseases, which significantly threaten many lives.

Characterisation of Soilless Substrates Blended from Coco Peat and Burned Rice Husk via Particle Size Distribution Analysis

MOHD FAUZIE JUSOH — 2025-06-26

Soilless media is widely employed in modern agriculture to facilitate efficient water management, enhance nutrient uptake, and mitigate soil-borne diseases. When different soilless media are blended in varying compositions, their physical and hydrological properties change, directly impacting crop yield and growth performance. Understanding the combination effect of coco peat (CP) and burn rice husk (BRH) concerning particle size distribution suitability for the potting medium is essential. This study aims to evaluate the particle size distribution of blended soilless substrates composed of CP and BRH at various compositions. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was deployed to assess significant differences between particle sizes among the treatments. Particle distribution curves were further analysed for particle diameter at selected cumulative mass distribution, median, standard deviation, mass relative span, kurtosis and skewness. Results indicated that most samples consist of fines and medium particle size, positive fine skewed, and signified by mesokurtic and leptokurtic. The combination of CP and RBH at different ratios has changed the coarse (> 2.3 mm), medium (2.3 to 0.6 mm) and fine (< 0.6 mm) particle size composition. This study demonstrated that the combination of CP and BRH improved particle distribution size by increasing the medium and fine-size particles. This finding provides valuable information on physical changes in particle size due to the blend of CP and BRH for potting soilless media. Understanding soilless media characteristics would guide farmers in managing better irrigation practices for precision irrigation or IoT smart farming for optimum agricultural production.

Effect of Vermicompost and Molasses on the Phosphorus Adsorption Characteristics of Cow Dung Amended Soil

Nitul Chandra Sen — 2025-06-26

Long term but steady-control release of phosphorus is crucially important for phosphorus fertiliser management and plant growth. In the present study, we aimed to explore the effects of vermicompost and molasses on the phosphorus adsorption characteristics of cow dung amended soil. To achieve this goal, four treatments: control (soil + 10% cow dung), T1: SCV (soil + 9% cow dung + 1% vermicompost), T2: SCM (soil + 10% cow dung + 0.1% molasses), and T3: SCVM (soil + 9% cow dung + 1% vermicompost + 0.1% molasses) with three replicates were investigated. The treatments were incubated for 21 days at room temperature (~30 °C) and the samples were collected at seven days intervals. Phosphorus adsorption behaviour was examined by measuring maximum phosphorus adsorption capacity (MPAC), phosphate bonding energy (PBE) and maximum phosphate buffering capacity (MPBC)with some related physico-chemical parameters e.g., pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter (OM) content. Physico-chemical studies revealed that both vermicompost and molasses have positive impact on pH, EC, and OM confirming the relatively better nutrient availability to plants. Initially, the MPAC values of both vermicompost and molasses amended samples (T1: SCV, T2: SCM and T3: SCVM) showed the highest MPAC (696.18 ± 52.625, 703.94 ± 92.386 and 670.17 ± 33.786 mg/kg respectively) followed by gradual decrease to 436.15 ± 16.346, 448.61± 24.221, and 430.78 ± 6.871 mg/kg respectively with time while cow dung amended control soil showed increasing trend starting from the value 321.52 ± 56.462 to 592.65 ± 53.657 mg/kg. Study of the PBE and MPBC of all amended samples followed the same pattern of change.

Enhancing Barringtonia racemosa (L.) Streng. Stem Cutting Propagation for Restoration Efforts: Influence of Cutting Position and Substrate Type

EVANIE CLARA FELIX — 2025-06-26

Barringtonia racemosa (L.) is a common native tropical tree species that grows in adjacent areas of tidal riverbanks, which are slightly beyond the influence of saline waters. This species is commonly associated with mangrove plants, which help prevent erosion, protect water quality, and nourish terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Nevertheless, the seed production of this species has become limited as a result of the severe degradation of riparian areas, thereby making seedling production via micropropagation costly. Thus, this study tested the ability of B. racemosa to undergo vegetative regeneration in a non-mist poly-propagator under 90% shading in the nursery for three months. The observation primarily focused on the growth performance of cuttings, specifically the shoot and root development, depending on the treatments used. Three different stem cutting positions were used: apical, median, and basal, as well as three types of substrates: sand, cocopeat, and a mixture of sand and cocopeat (1:1). All cuttings were treated with dissolved indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) hormone. The results showed cuttings at the median and basal positions with a mixture of sand and cocopeat sprouted the most with 97.22 ± 4.81% and 83.33 ± 8.36%, respectively. Cuttings at the basal position with the same mixture also rooted the most (97.22 ± 4.81%), followed by the median position with sand (89.00 ± 9.62%). Contradictorily, the apical cuttings in the mixture substrate had lower sprouting and rooting success (13.89 ± 4.82% and 13.98 ± 12.73%). This study concluded that B. racemosa can be efficiently propagated using basal and median stem cuttings with suitable substrate type, providing a practical and cost-effective approach for restoration efforts in degraded riparian areas.

Impact of Various Pre-Treatments on the Lignocellulosic Compositions of Sarawak ‘Paun’ Pineapple Leaf Waste

ALEXANDRA CHERYL ANAK DENNIS — 2025-06-26

Pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass is a crucial step in breaking down the complex structure of the plant`s cell wall to enhance the availability and digestibility of cellulose for bioconversion process of the biomass to value-added products. The overall efficiency of the process designed to convert lignocelluloses also lies on an accurate determination of compositions of the lignocellulosic substrate. In this study, local species of Sarawak ‘Paun’ pineapple leaves collected from Simunjan, Sarawak, were subjected to various pre-treatment methods including thermal treatment, acidic treatments and alkaline treatments. Compositional analyses of the raw and pre-treated leaves were conducted through a gravimetric method to study the effect of different methods of pre-treatments in altering the lignocellulosic compositions of the pineapple leaf wastes focusing on the hemicellulose, lignin and cellulose content. As the main purpose of a pre-treatment method focuses on its ability and efficiency to disintegrate the biomass complex structure, especially, in reducing lignin content for higher cellulose accessibility of enzymes in enzymatic hydrolyses. This study suggested that pre-treatment with 1.5% (v/v) hydrochloric acid solution displayed the most notable change to the lignocellulose contents of the leaves as highest cellulose content (51.5% w/w) and lowest amount of lignin (10.3% w/w) were recorded, compared to that of other pre-treatment methods. These findings may provide a better understanding for future research in designing a suitable biochemical process with enhanced enzymatic digestibility of cellulose present in the pineapple leaves to yield wealth-added products.