NESE Master Student Receives 1st Prize of Student Oral Presenter Award in 3rd International Food Research Conference
The Center for Postgraduate Studies and Research congratulates Koh Qi Qi, a Master student from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, on receiving the 1st Place in Best Oral Presentation Award at the 3rd International Food Research Conference (IFRC 2024), which was held during 6-8 August 2024 at Putrajaya, Malaysia.
Entitled “Exploring the Potential of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent (NADES) for Simultaneous Extraction of Phenolics and Carotenoids”, the award-winning work has been carried out under the supervision of Asst. Prof. Dr. Kua Yin Leng, in collaboration with Prof. Gan Suyin from the University of Nottingham Malaysia and Dr. Harrison Lau Lik Nang from Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB).
This project is funded by Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) [grant number FRGS/1/2021/TK0/XMU/02/2].
During the presentation, Koh Qi Qi proposes a green, safe, and efficient method for the extraction of polar phenolic compounds and non-polar carotenoids from fresh oil palm leaves (OPL), a significant by-product of Malaysia's oil palm plantation sector. Using Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES), the researchers developed a process involving homogenization, heating, and stirring to extract these compounds simultaneously. The study demonstrated that NADES could effectively extract both types of compounds from fresh OPL, addressing the challenges posed by its high moisture content. Green valorization of the abundant OPL biomass displays the practicality of the findings in offering valuable information for achieving sustainability, addressing waste disposal issues for green extraction.
Initiated by Universiti Putra Malaysia, this conference, themed Sustainable Food Industry through Science, Technology, and Innovation, brought together nearly 250 participants from 20 countries. Various aspects of food science and industry have been explored, including food analysis, safety, quality, chemistry, and biochemistry. For more information about the event, please visit https://ifrc.upm.edu.my/
