Introduction Muslim consumers have been a major factor in the increased demands for food products and services that conform to the Islamic religious principles. These food products are considered “Halal” and that they contain ingredients that are permitted in Islam. “Halal” Certification System “Halal” originates from an Arabic phrase that means allowed or permitted by […]
Introduction When we visit the KLCC Suria in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a popular shopping mall, our eyes would be dazzled by illuminations of brands, from local brands to international brands. Lighted logos of brands are prominently placed at various points of their well-designed stores. Brand owners should like my wife, Datin Azimah: toothpaste (Colgate), washing […]
Introduction Our new consulting assignment involves an interesting legume. Our client has been involved in the research and development of functional ingredients. The key functional ingredients that it is focusing on are those that could be derived from soybean (Glycine max). Soybean is an important crop that began many thousand years ago. In recent years […]
Introduction We are a keen follower of the host of The Bizarre Food, Mr. Andrew Zimmern. He eats all kinds of bizarre food. In the many episodes, we had not watched him eat a most bizarre food, namely porcupine bezoar. Porcupine bezoar is a very expensive herbal food in traditional Chinese medicine. The Chinese believe […]
Introduction There are more than twenty four species of swift distributed around the world, but only a few species that produce nests that are deemed edible. The majority of edible bird’s nests consumed worldwide come from two species, namely Aerodramus fuciphogus and Aerodramus maximus . They can be found in areas covering Nicobar Islands, Thailand, […]
Last Thursday, we had the opportunity to review new technologies developed and shown at the Malaysian Technology Expo (MTE) 2018. Those who are interested to know more on the technologies, please get in touch with me. This power bank, which uses fuel cell technology, is very useful in areas where there is no source of […]
Background In the early phase of the rubber industry in early 1900s, investors and speculators floated companies, which owned rubber estates or rubber lands in Malaya, on the London Stock Exchange. Their estates in major states like Selangor and Negri Sembilan had English-sounding names. Some of the English-sounding names included: Aranlife Balgownie Beaumont Blackwater Braemer […]
Introduction Legend had it that four seed s of African Elaeis guineensis brought over by the Dutch into Indonesia in 1848 and planted in Bogor, Indonesia, laid the foundation for the palm industry in Malaysia and Indonesia. The two countries now produce more than eighty per cent of palm oil in the world. The earliest […]
The Previous Rubber Industry The car industry in the early 1900s spurred the establishment of vast rubber plantations in Malaysia (Malaya then). Rubber companies with names of British towns were floated on the London Stock Exchange to fund the planting of rubber trees. Till the 1960s, rubber exports were the main source of revenue for […]
Introduction The other day an electrician came to our house to replace all the conventional fluorescent lights with LED lights. These LED lights are now offered at most DIY shops, and house owners are slowly embracing LED lights. This is also helped by lower LED prices, and many brands are competing in the marketplace. LED […]