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The most common reasons given for breastfeeding discontinuation among working women is insufficient or low milk supply which related to physiological and psychological factors. In this case, natural galactagogue is suggested as an alternative for lactating women to augment expressed breast milk supply, instead of using drugs as a milk booster. This study investigated the banana flower of Musa x paradisiaca for its galactogenic property on lactating working women. Formulations containing banana flower flour (BFF) and wheat flour with ratio of 50:50 were consumed by randomised lactating working women. A total of 58 mother-infant pairs were assigned to two groups which were placebo group (n=29) who consumed plain biscuits (without addition of BFF) and experimental group (n=29) who consumed prototype biscuits. Expressed breast milk (EBM), anthropometric indices of mothers and infants were recorded before and after the consumption of the biscuits. The result showed that EBM volume after consuming lactogenic biscuits among experimental group was significantly higher compared to placebo groups. The index of mother’s BMI change after the intervention was not statistically significantly different between the two groups (p>0.05). However, the BMI for age index after the intervention was significantly different among the infants (p

Introduction: This study was conducted to evaluate the quantity of medium filth (najs mutawassitah) and the growth rate of faecal borne bacteria in self prepared fried rice toward the standardization of ‘halalan toyyibah’ food. Methods: The samples of fried rice were cooked with the application of hygienic practices. A specific quantity of human stools were then purposely inoculated into the samples. The growth curves of the bacteria were determined using NanoDrop 1000 UV-VIS Spectrophotometer at 630nm where the initial and end of lag times for each of the bacterial growth were determined. Results: The results showed that if the contamination of human stools in the food is in small quantity (1-2 drops), it may have no health risk at all (within lag time). If the human stools are in higher volume (more than 2 drops, or about 1 ml) then it may start to contaminate the food and could then lead to health risks. If foods are contaminated with small amounts (about 0.1 ml) of human stools and left at ambient temperature (about 37o C) for about 4 hours, the same thing will happen. Conclusions: If the level of health risk is translated according to Shariah law, foods which are contaminated with higher amount (more than 2 drops, or about 1 ml) of human stools or contaminated with small amounts (1-2 drops) of human stools, but are left (about 4 hours) at ambient temperature can be considered as shubhah/makhrooh to be eaten.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of fasting on blood lipid profile in fasting obese and non‐obese subjects.Design/methodology/approachMale and female subjects from the International Islamic University, Malaysia (IIUM), Kuantan Campus were assessed for body compositional changes during Ramadan fasting. In total, 25 males and females volunteered to participate in this study in the holy month of Ramadan. The mean age of the volunteers was 26.5±5.86 years and the age range was 21‐45 years. The age, weight and height of the volunteers were recorded on day 1 of Ramadan and weight was also recorded on day 21. The volunteers were asked for donation of blood samples on days 1, 7, 14 and 21 of the Ramadan. The blood serum was separated and stored at −20°C immediately after each collection. The serum samples stored at −20°C were analyzed for serum glucose and lipid profile. The analysis of serum lipid profile was performed with the help of clinical kits from Bayer Health Care using Bayer Express Plus Clinical analyzer. The serum was used for the estimation of total cholesterol (TC), HDL‐cholesterol (HDL‐c) and triglycerides (TG) concentrations using kit reagents from M/s Bayer Diagnostics, whereas low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐c) was determined by calculation. The statistics were performed using MINITAB statistical software (release 8.2).FindingsThe serum triglyceride concentration was significantly reduced and the reduction was 17.48 percent from day 1‐21. The serum TC concentration also reduced from day 1‐21 and the reduction was 15.93 percent. The serum LDL‐c concentration also significantly reduced from day 1‐21 and the reduction was 21.67 percent. The serum HDL‐c concentration decreased in the first weak and second week but an improving trend was observed on day 21 of the Ramadan.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was not a controlled one and was conducted on free‐living individuals and therefore there is need to have controlled or adjusted physical activities studies in fasting individuals. It is always difficult to conduct experiment on human beings in the metabolic area. Furthermore, in this study it was not possible since it was a religious fasting. Another limitation is that the size of the sample was smaller than is advisable for this kind of study. However, the results were confirmed in the following month of Ramadan, as described in the paper.Originality/valueThe paper takes into consideration the effect of Ramadan fasting on blood lipid profile, which has ever been studied in obese individuals.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of fasting on anthropometry and body composition in fasting obese and non‐obese subjects.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 25 volunteers (male and female) were recruited during Ramadan. Age, sex, weight, height, waist and hip circumference and menstrual cycle status (in case of females) were recorded on day 1, and on day 21 weight and waist and hip circumference were also recorded. Similarly, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was performed on days 1 and 21 for the assessment of changes in body composition. From weight and height, basal metabolic Index (BMI) was determined. Waist‐hip ratio was determined from the waist and hip circumferences.FindingsWeight was significantly (ppr=0.9) between the fat free mass and total body water and negative association (r=−0.9) with total body water.Originality/valueThis study indicates that fasting could be a useful tool for the management of body weight without having a major shift in the body composition.

Problem statement: Processing of food involving heat will contribute to loss of nutritional content, thus it is important to measure and control temperature and time to reduce the loss.Approach: Examine the effects of variations in boiling temperature and boiling time on the antioxidant activity of the boiling extract of Plecranthus amboinicus Lour. Fresh plants were boiled at 45, 60, 100 and 120°C for 1, 2 and 3 h respectively. The decoction was then filtered and the antioxidant activities of the extracted samples were measured on the basis of the scavenging activity of the stable 1,1-Diphenyl-2-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. Results: The antioxidant activity increased with the rise of temperature from 45-100°C but dropped when the extraction temperature was raised to 120°C. Two hours boiling time gave the highest antioxidant activities, but with no significant difference compared to 1 h boiling time (p>0.05). However, 3 h of boiling gave significantly (p