Brief

Sand: Under-The-Radar Key Global Commodity

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Sand is an important construction material

In late 2008 I was tasked by the then Chief Minister of the industrial state of Selangor of Malaysia, in which Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia is also located, to re-organize the state’s sand industry. The sand industry has been rife with illegal sand extraction and corrupt officials. The state collected only a small amount of royalty from its sand resources.  

The demand for sand was huge as it is an important material for building and road construction.  Anjana Ahuja  wrote in Financial Times on 23rd, May 2019, that, according to a UN report, sand is being mined, dredged and even stolen to satisfy the global demand for infrastructure. Strikingly, sand comes second only to water in terms  of the volume of material resources that are extracted and traded globally.

While it is being poured into much-needed urban development, particularly in China and India, sand is not a limitless gift of nature. The world has a “sand budget” and we are spending it faster than it can be replenished.

The environmental consequences of sand extraction are becoming plainer by the day. The plunder of lakes, rivers and coastal areas reduce biodiversity, destroying fishing communities, causes pollution, lowers water table and, by ferrying away natural deposits increases flood risk.

It can also threaten  tourism in countries like Morocco with illegal extraction providing half of the annual sand needs, beaches are in danger of being stripped back to rock.

“It is a challenge to the paradigm of infinite sand resources,” concludes the UN report.

We tend to think sand as the powdery stuff that slips between our toes. In fact, sand falls into two categories. The first is mineral sand, which contains such minerals as zircon and is used to make ceramics and as pigments. It comes mainly from river beds and coastal areas like beaches. In inland and non-tropical areas, sand is mostly made of silica, or silicon dioxide. The second class is aggregates, a generic term  for crushed rock, sand and gravel. This easier-to-bind coarse variety of sand is coveted by the construction industry. Up to 50 million tonnes are removed from rivers, pits, quarries, coast lines and marine areas each year.

Illegal or unregulated sand extraction flourishes in countries where, variously, rules are lacking, enforcement is lax or corruption thrives. Because transporting sand is expensive, generally the material is generally used near to its source. Tracking where infrastructure is springing up can yield clues about which ecosystems might be targeted. According to Dr Latham of the Imperial College in London, UK, the great sand drain presents a technical challenge: how to come up with alternative materials, perhaps using desert sand. “It is a huge reserve that is already on land, so removing it arguably less of an environmental  problem. The industry needs to look at this.”

An Imperial College student start-up is trying to develop a building material out of smooth –grained sand; the re-usable, biodegradable composite is currently only suitable for temporary structures.

Sand is becoming a geopolitical irritant too. Singapore’s expansion via land reclamation has been linked to the loss of 24 sand islands from neighbouring Indonesia. China’s territorial expansion in the South China Sea depends on imported sand.

My Own Experience

There is a veracious demand for sand in our state of Selangor and in Kuala Lumpur for construction of roads and infrastructure. Sand extraction from agricultural lands, ex-mining lands and river turned them into large water bodies with few alternative uses. Declining supply of sand from the state of Selangor requires sand to be transported from other states such as Perak in the north. Large trucks are used to transport sand, which often cause busy traffic on the highways. Illegal sand activities have been vastly reduced, and the income from the sand royalties for the state of Selangor had increased substantially.

But everyone must know that sand is a limited resource and may not be available where it is needed for urban development. Society needs to prepare to pay a higher price for this take-for-granted natural resource.

Guest Contributor

“The old men and the sea”: Terengganu’s coastal fishermen

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Pulling in the day’s catches on the high sea of South China Sea. Picture is captured from Malaysian Insight, taken by Nazir Sufari on 21st October, 2017.

Long coastline, largest number of fishers

The state of Terengganu in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia has a long coastline stretching for about 244 km. Famous for its white sandy beaches, the long coastline facing the vast South China Sea is dotted with quaint fishing villages, turtle landing sites and quite a few beach hotels, resorts and chalets. The wide expense of the South China Sea is rich in natural resources of different marine life. Naturally therefore, fisheries has developed to be an important food and also income sources that contribute significantly to the livelihoods of local coastal communities for decades and through generations. About 11,000 locals are earning their living from the sea as coastal fishers or more commonly called coastal fishermen, the largest in the peninsular (fishing activities within 30 nautical miles from shore is classified as coastal fishing or inshore fishing while beyond 30 nautical miles as offshore fishing or more commonly known as deep sea fishing)

Operational zones, boats sizes & gears

The Malaysian fishing waters are divided into zones to facilitate orderly fishing, avoid unequal competition between diverse players and also to avoid conflicts.

Zone A is for fishing operation within 5 nautical miles from shore. This zone is for the traditional fishers and owner operated boats using traditional gears like hooks and lines and fish traps or bubu. An estimated 55% of Terengganu coastal fishers are from this category.

Zone B is between 5 – 12 nautical miles from shore for owner-operated commercial fishing vessels of less than 40 GRT (Gross Registered Ton) using non motorised gears as trawl nets, purse seine nets, drift nets, gill nets as well as hooks and lines. It is estimated that 35% of Terengganu coastal fishers are from this second category.

Zone C, between 12 – 30 nautical miles from shore is for commercial fishing vessels of between 40 – 70 GRT. Motorised fishing gears are allowed such as trawl nets, purse seine nets, drift nets as well as gill nets. Only an estimated 10% of Terengganu coastal fishers are engaged in this sector.

Zone C2 is for vessels of more than 70 GRT and are not included in the discussion here as these are deep sea fishing vessels operating beyond the 30 nautical miles from shore in the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone). These are offshore fishers and not coastal fishers.

Thus, most of Terengganu coastal fishers or about 90% of them are operating less than 12 km from shore under class A and class B categories using boats of less than 40 GRT. And when categorised according to boat sizes, 72% of Terengganu coastal fishers are using boats of 15 GRT and lower. Only 18% are operating with boats of 16 – 40 GRT while 10% with boats of 40 – 70 GRT (Only boats of 40 – 70 GRT are considered medium sized boats, while boats of under 40 GRT are considered small boats)

Seasonal and weather dependent occupation

In general, November to February is the North East Monsoon season in Terengganu. During this period wind speed can reach 40 knots or more and sea waves can reach 4 meters in height. This is too rough and dangerous for A and B class fishers with boats of under 40 GRT to go out to sea to fish. The downtime period of about 4 months leaves these fishers without incomes. Few of these fishers are able to seek other alternative incomes or jobs during this period. Most will only tend to their boats and mend their nets while waiting for the opportunity to resume fishing again – the only skill they know or posses for most. For most as well, incomes from the active fishing period from March till October will not be able to help them tide this rough period. Thus, many will be dependent upon the allowance from the government to survive.

All in a day’s work for coastal Terengganu fishers

A typical day for these traditional fishers and majority of B zone fishers of Terengganu begins with them setting out very early in the morning in their boats so as to be at their chosen fishing spots before the sun rises. Most are already old and very few young people are interested in this kind of job as it involves very hard work. For traditional fishers it is a task carried either individually or accompanied by another crew using a boat fitted with an outboard motor. For drift or gill netters with boats of under 15 GRT a four or five men crew is the norm. A purse seiner however requires a lot more crew. A 25 GRT purse seine boat for example requires a crew of 14. For these non trawlers, it is their routine to head to artificial reefs or to spots they have laid their unjangs to carry out their fishing business. Unjang or also unjam is a crude form of fish aggregating device made from palm fronds tied with tree branches that will attract marine life to feed, shelter or even for shade when submerged in the seawater – a lure of sort if it is temporary and doubled as an artificial habitats for marine life if permanent.

For traditional fishers this is the spot for them to lay, check or to retrieve their fish traps or bubus and gather the catches. Similarly to hooks and lines fishers it is the place to throw their lines and reel in the catches. For drift and gill netters as well as purse seiners they would be very busy laying their nets and after a couple of hours pulling in the catches. This process is then repeated for a couple of times but at different spots. And by mid day many of them would call it a day and would begin preparing to head to shore after way past noon. Often these fishers reach the shore and the jetties in the evening to the waiting middle men or buyers. Here they are rewarded for what they have got or caught. A good day’s catch would bring home the smiles on their face. If not they just have to put on a brave face and try their luck another day. Such is their life – unpredictable and uncertain.

Fishermen’s woes

The life as coastal fishers of Terenggganu is hard. Not only is the cost of living high, their incomes are also falling and lower than before. These fishers are bringing back much lower catches now, that even the current high fish prices are not enough to compensate them for the lower quantity of fish landed. A common argument put forward for the dwindling fish resources in coastal Terengganu waters is due to over fishing. Statistic wise, that is quite debatable as the number of coastal fishers in Terengganu is quite stable for a long time. So too are the fish gears issued. And the Fishery Department is constantly monitoring and controlling the issuance of license for fishing permits as well approvals for fishing gears.  But opinion of over fishing has its merit if one considers the issue of encroaching foreign fishing boats from Vietnam and Thailand. These illegal fishermen are using big trawlers fitted with illegal nets that sweep the sea bed and hauling everything, unjangs, fish traps, juvenile fish and more, leaving the sea bed bare and clean. As a result the sea is pretty much destroyed of its complex marine ecosystem and deprived much of its needed marine life to breed and regenerate. Some Malaysian trawlers from outside the state are reported to be doing similar thing and illegally encroaching into the areas reserved for traditional fishers at night and when there in no enforcement.  Hence, enforcement or more appropriately the lack of it is the issue here.

So what is the future for them?

These coastal fishers are important to the country and need to be protected and helped for the interest of food security of the country. We already have good system and regulation in place. It only needs fine tuning from time to time. What is important is for all parties to abide by the rules and regulation. Proper enforcement of the regulation is therefore the key to solving the problem.

About the guest contributor

Mr Ahmad Rozi is a stingless bee farmer in Terengganu, Malaysia. He writes on interesting topics about foods, places and traditional medicines in his state and region.

Brief

Beyond Meat Inc. sizzled on its NASDAQ market debut

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Beyond Meat Inc., covered in our blog, went  where no company in the US had gone in more than a decade as its shares nearly tripled on their first day of listing on NASDAQ last Thursday.

The pre-IPO price of US$25 per share opened at US$46 per share, closing the day at US$67.75 per share. This closing price values the company at US$3.82 billion from its pre-IPO valuation of US$1.5 billion.

According to Bloomberg News, the 163 per cent surge was the best debut session on any US listing since at least 2008, among IPOs that raised at least US$200 million.

The spectacular listing of Beyond Meat shows that investors are keen to invest in companies that develop plant-based meat alternatives. The proceeds of US$200 million will be used by the company to expand its existing facilities and to establish new ones.

We are sure Impossible Foods Inc, Beyond Meat Inc.’s competitor, will be considering listing as well, while the stock market is sizzling hot.

World Unique Innovation

Revolutionary healthcare technology from Africa for the world

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A drone used by Zipline to deliver medicines via a parachute

Usually you do not expect Africa to be a hot bed for innovation. A new revolutionary healthcare technology could change this perception. Neil Munshi, writing in Financial Times on April 25th, 2019, noted this technology will be applied in Africa as well as outside Africa.

The world’s largest drone delivery network, ferrying 150 different medicines and vaccines, as well as blood, to 2,000 clinics in remote part of Ghana, was announced on April 24th, 2019. The network represents a major expansion for Silicon Valley start-up Zipline, which began delivering blood in Rwanda in 2016, using pilotless, pre-programmed aircraft.

The move along with a new agreement in Rwanda signed in December 2018, takes the company beyond simple blood distribution to more complicated vaccine and plasma deliveries.

“What this is going to show is that you can reach every GPS coordinate, you can serve everybody, “ said Keller Rinaudo, Zipline chief executive.

“Every human in that country or region can be within a 15-25 minute delivery of any essential medical product; it is a different way of thinking about universal coverage.”

Keller Rinaudo, CEO of Zipline
(Image captured from the company’s website, flyzipline.com)

Zipline will deliver vaccines for yellow fever, polio, diphtheria and tetanus which are provided by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) expanded project on immunization. WHO will also use the company’s system for future mass immunization programmes in Ghana. Later this year, Zipline has plans to start operations in North Carolina, US and Southeast Asia.

The company said it would be able to serve 100 million people within a year, up from the 22 million that it projects in Ghana and Rwanda will cover. In Ghana Zipline said healthcare workers would receive deliveries via a parachute drop within about 30 minutes of placing their orders by text message. Zipline’s drones will have a round-trip range of 160 km, travelling at 100 km an hour.

The drones are the least complicated part of the business, Mr Rinaudo said, compared with designing a complex supply chain where none exists, integrating into national healthcare systems and working with regulators such as the civil aviation authorities in Rwanda who touted Zipline to their Ghanaian counterparts. Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, has been known for his plan to take the country-a lower-middle-income nation with about US$4,500 in per capital income in purchasing power parity terms-“beyond aids”.

But his ambitious economic reforms programme has been slow to progress and much remains underdeveloped.

Still the International Monetary Fund (IMF) earlier projected Ghana to be the fastest-growing economy in the world this year, at 8.8 per cent.

Guest Contributor

Murraya koenigii: first-aid kit plant around the house

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A growing tree of murraya koenigii

Murraya koenigii, common name curry leaf tree in English or just curry tree is actually a shrub which can grow to a height of 2.5 metres. It is also known as daun kari, Indian curry tree, curry bush, karapincha, karwa pale, garupillai, kerupulai, kadi patta or sweet neem. It belongs to rutaceae family and is believed to be native to India. The tree thrives well in tropical and subtropical climates and can be widely found in the Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia. They are also cultivated in Australia, Nigeria and China. The green leaves are pinnate with 11 to 21 leaflets of 2cm to 4 cm long and 1cm to 2 cm broad. The leaves are highly aromatic when rubbed or crushed. It can be propagated from stem cutting, seeds or root sprouts. The tree produces tiny white flowers which become red fruits when young and black when ripe.

The fresh leaves of curry leaf tree are used both as herb and spice for food seasoning and flavoring in South Indian and Southeast Asian cuisines. As the name suggests, the leaves are almost always a must have when cooking curry. Curry is a name of a dish originating in the Indian subcontinent and now spread to Southeast Asia. It is a combination of spices or herbs, usually including ground turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, and fresh or dried chilies with curry leaves stir fried with vegetable oil, mustard seeds and chopped onions at the beginning of its preparation. Dried curry leaves are, however, inferior in aroma and flavor and so not often used.

Note:

  1. It is important not to confuse this plant with another plant that is also known as “curry plant” (Helichrysum italicum) which has strong smell of curry powder but is not in any way used in making curry dishes.
  2. Genus Murraya is named in honour of Johan Andreas Murray (1740 – 1791), Professor of Botany at Gottingen while species koenigii is named in honor of Johann Gerhad Konig (Koenig) (1728 – 1785), who was a missionary and botanist in India. 

Nutritional Value and Chemical Contents

There are more to these humble leaves than just as food seasoning and flavoring. For starters, the leaves have 66.3% moisture content, 16.0% carbohydrates, 6.4% fiber, 6.1% protein and 1.0% fat. It is rich in minerals including calcium, phosphorous, iron, magnesium, copper and various vitamins such as B3 (nicotinic acid) vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B and vitamin E.

The plant also contains cinnamaldehyde and numerous carbazole alkaloids, including mahanimbine, girinimbine and mahanine. It also has linolool, which gives it its unique aroma. These compounds are present in the leaves, stems, bark, and seeds and exhibit antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties which are useful for treating and preventing many diseases and health disorders. The plant is widely used in Ayurvedic and other alternative or traditional medicine.

Medicinal Uses of Murraya Koenigii

Though the leaves have always been sought after for their unique flavour and usefulness in cooking, there are also a number of health benefits that make them highly useful. Some of the well-known remedies are listed below:

  • Curry leaves can aid weight loss. Carbazole alkaloids work against weight gain and adding the leaves into the diet also help in regulating cholesterol levels in the body.
  • Curry leaves are said to support bowel movement and help stimulate digestive enzymes when consumed. They are good for treating an upset stomach such as diarrhea, constipation and dysentery.
  • Carbazole alkaloid compound in curry leaves speeds up the process of healing wounds as topical application. Curry leaves have a similar effect on inflamed skin, boils and first-degree burns
  • They also help provide relief from morning sickness and nausea to women during pregnancy.
  • The anti-hyperglycemic properties of the leaves are beneficial in controlling blood glucose level. This is perhaps one of the most important health benefits of consuming the leaves.
  • The leaves are also thought to be a good food supplement for eyesight as it contains vitamin A.
  • Essential oil of curry leaves can help in reducing stress effectively. This is probably because of the calming effect of the scent of curry leaves (the scent of curry leaves is due to the present of linolool compound).
  • Curry leaves are also good for the hair. It is said to promote hair follicle growth and repair and help prevent or at least delay graying of hair either by rubbing or massaging the leaves in paste form or in powder form mix with oil to the scalp.
The curry plant can grow in a pot around the house

The Verdict

Whether for food flavoring or for its many health benefits, this is one tree worth having in the compound of one’s home. It’s like having a first-aid kit by your side all the time. Growing it is not difficult as it is quite hardy and can be grown on the ground or in pots.

About the guest contributor

Mr Ahmad Rozi is a stingless bee farmer in Terengganu, Malaysia. He writes on interesting topics about foods, places and traditional medicines in his state and region. You can place an order with us at 6016 3220 952 to order his honey.

Plant-Based Meat

A 64-year old among the youth of Silicon Valley

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The 64-year old founder of Impossible Foods Inc.

The founder of plant-based meat company Impossible Foods Inc., Prof. Pat Brown, is a 64-year old who stands out among that many young founders of billion-dollar start-ups in Silicon Valley, California, US.

What he lacks in youth, he makes it up for an ambition. Instead of just changing the world, Prof. Brown intends to save it. Recently a deal announced between Impossible Foods and Burger King is a step toward achieving his goal of reducing the carbon emissions generated by the meat industry.

An article by Emiko Terazono and Tim Bradshaw in Financial Times on 6th, April, 2019 traced the achievements of Prof. Brown.

Prof. Brown is known in the scientific community for his research in genetics and microbiology, including defining the mechanism by which the HIV virus infects cells. After taking a sabbatical from the role as a professor at Stanford University in 2010, he wanted to find a global issue he could make a real difference. He concluded that finding the causes of cancer or Alzheimer’s were secondary to the environmental damage caused by eating meat and dairy.

“Nothing comes remotely close to the catastrophic environmental impact of the livestock industry,” he said. From greenhouse gases emission to the negative effects on land and water, he is convinced that humans are racing to ecological disaster unless meat and dairy consumption is cut or eliminated. He realized that instead of preaching a shift in eating habits, or lobbying to change regulations, offering consumers tasty alternatives proteins was how to trigger change.

A marathon-running vegan, he has not eaten meat for five decades or dairy for 15 years. “If you can figure out what makes meat delicious — you save the planet from our environmental catastrophe,” said Prof Brown.

With the backing of Silicon Valley investor Khosla Ventures, he launched Impossible Foods Inc. in 2011, putting together a team that included molecular biochemists, chemists and data scientists to produce plant-based meat from a molecular level.

Mr. Samir Kaul, a founding partner at Khosla Ventures with a background in genomics who looked up to Prof. Brown in his days as a scientist, said it was an easy decision to back him.

“He has a history of taking on a big challenge and, frankly, winning.”

Impossible Foods discovered that heme, an iron-containing protein molecule present in plants and animals, was the ingredient giving meat its aroma, taste and texture. Produced through genetic engineering and yeast fermentation, it is also behind the juices that make the Impossible Foods’s burger bleed.

In 2016, it introduced a burger made of wheat and potato  protein, coconut oil, and heme. It looked, tasted, smelt and sizzled like a real meat burger.

Even before Impossible Foods launched a product, Prof. Brown turned down an offer with hundreds of millions of dollars for the company from Google in 2015.”For Prof. Brown possibly, his reason to do this is not to get rich. For Pat, it’s to make the world a better place, “ said Mr Kaul.

This year the group has introduced a new burger after swapping wheat for soyabeans and using less salt. After signing its distribution deal with Burger King, it is fundraising to increase the capacity of its production facility in Oakland, California, US.

Along with rival Beyond Meat, which is preparing to float its shares in the US, Impossible Foods has sought to lure meat-eating consumers who want to reduce intake of meat or looking for tasty options, casting the net wide than vegans.

Prof. Brown’s pronouncement that he is not bothered about exits have been perceived as arrogance by some venture capitalists. But he has raised more than US$475 million since 20111 and drawn plenty of backers, including Bill Gates and others. Bruce Friedrich, who launched the Good Food Institute, a US not-for-profit that promotes alternative proteins and advice start-ups, calls Prof. Brown “a prophet” and praises his “infectious optimism”.

It has not all been plain sailing. Impossible Foods reduce its salt content of its burger after campaigners criticised it for having too much. It had to wait several years before the US FDA last year acknowledged that heme was “generally recognized as safe”. It defended the testing of its products on rats after criticisms from animal rights group Peta.

Impossible Foods produces soy leghemoglobin by genetically modifying yeast and using fermentation. The ingredient is key because it carries heme, an iron-rich molecule found in real meat. The heme in the Impossible Burger is atom-for-atom identical to the heme found in meat, fish, plants and other foods.

If the Impossible burger is successful, Prof. Brown hopes to eliminate animal meat in the food chain by 2035, helping the earth restores its vegetation cover.

“Half of the earth’s land has been significantly and destructively disrupted by animal agriculture, “ he said. “So the replacement of that industry with a tiny fraction of the land and environmental impact and resulting recovery of the ecosystems will be visible from outer space, ” he said.

Plant-Based Meat

We eagerly wait for Impossible Whopper to be introduced in Malaysia

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Plant-based burger sold at Burger King outlets in Missouri, US

In the Lex Column of the Financial Times on 3rd, April 2019, we noted an interesting article. It highlighted that growing numbers of vegetarians mean big food groups are keen to invest in plant-based substitutes for meat. Start-ups are ahead in the race to produce alternatives that look and taste like the real meat stuff. Thus, a major market may develop.

Veganism was once a fringe movement. Now, it is becoming mainstream. US sales of plant-based food was growing 10 times faster than the rest, according to research group Nielsen.

As consumers reduce their meat intake,  manufacturers are racing to exploit the trend. In other words, interest in plant-based burgers is sizzling hot!

Same old-style veggie burgers would be beaten in a taste test by the cartons in which they came. The latest version sizzle and “bleed” like real meat, manufacturers claim. In the food industry hype is a vital ingredient. Nestle, the Swiss food giant, calls its new soy protein-based patty “incredible burger”. It has launched recently, soon after news that Impossible Foods of the US had struck a deal with the large fast food chain Burger King.

The battle of the plant-based burger will be had fought. Unilever, which recently bought meat-substitute company The Vegetarian Butcher, had joined the fray. This company was mentioned in our previous blog.

California-based Beyond Meat, also mentioned in a previous blog, is another contender. It is preparing for an IPO as it seeks to expand its market territory. Competition will reduce industry profits.

For now, affluent consumers are expected to pay up. Smaller, rich households are the top buyers of plant-based burgers, says research group NPD. Impossible Whopper will cost about a US$ more than its beef counterpart.

Food groups are looking beyond committed dead-cow dodgers for growth. Just 5 per cent of Americans say they are vegetarians and 3 per cent are vegans. Many consumers, though, are cutting down on meat consumption. Health is the main reason, says Mintel, a market research company. Americans say they like the taste of the plant-based burger. Environmental worries also feature. Meat and dairy provide about 18 per cent of calories but uses 83 per cent of farmland and produces 60 per cent of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emission, a science paper said last year.

Leonardo DiCaprio, an investor in Beyond Meat, is one of the major celebrities who endorse the eco-credentials of meat substitute. Alternative meat is fashionable, virtue-signalling and tasty. No wonder the food industry want to take a bite, the Lex Column concluded.

Back to Impossible Whopper

The Burger King restaurant in Missouri, US, is testing the plant-based burger at 50 outlets. The plant-based burger will be supplied by Impossible Foods. As a result of this deal, the company is looking to raise fresh funding to increase its production capacity. Impossible Foods has already raised more than US$475 million since it was founded in 2011.

Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat have created plant-based products based on molecular science, where cells are created to mimic that of animal protein. Both pride themselves on offering burgers that aim for the same mouth feel as those made from beef. Both products “bleed” like meat, with Impossible Foods using “heme” – a protein created by its scientists through genetic engineering and yeast fermentation, while Beyond Meat uses beet juice.

The Impossible Whopper has the same ingredient as the company’s version of its burger, which now uses soyabeans instead of wheat. The diameter has been adjusted so that it fits in the Burger King bun.

Dato’ Anuar Md Nor’s Comment

We have not been visiting fast food outlets for the last three month to reduce meat consumption. When the Impossible Whopper is offered in Burger King restaurants in Malaysia, we could be enticed to visit its outlet again. We are sure McDonalds is watching!

Brief

Big oil and utility companies collide to supply energy to consumers

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Petronas, Malaysia’s national oil company

We were drawn to an article by Ed Crooks and Anjli Raval in the on-line Financial Times on 26th, March 2019. There used to be a hierarchy where oil companies sold fuel, while utility companies supplied electricity and gas to consumers. 

Today, these lines of demarcation of business activities are no longer applied. Utility companies are now filling-up your car and oil companies want to supply electricity to light-up homes.

Technological progress and the threat of climate change are forcing both oil companies and utility companies to re-think their business strategies, and are pushing them into each other’s business area. The result is set to a period of intensified competition and instability as companies that were previously able to largely forget about each other are now forced to battle for dominance.

Recently Royal Dutch Shell, one of the world’s largest oil and gas company, announced that its First Utility power business would be re-branded as Shell Energy with 700,000 households switched to renewable energy.  Customers will be offered not only cleaner electricity but discounts  on fast-charging for their electric vehicles as well as broadband internet and smart-home technology. Royal Dutch Shell had floated the idea that by 2030’s it could be the largest power company in the world.

Meanwhile, Enel, the Italian electricity group that by some measures holds the title today, last week highlighted the rapid growth of its network of electric-car  charging networks. By end of 2018, it had installed 49,000 worldwide.

The competition to provide the best  offerings is given an additional edge by a clash of cultures  Employees of the high-stakes world of oil and gas companies have traditionally looked down on the monotonous plodders of the electricity sector.

Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia’s electricity company

The next decade will reveal whether that confidence is justified.

On the oil side of the energy industry, pressure from investors is forcing companies to look at ways to curb greenhouse gas emissions while the rise of electric vehicles  is threatening to slow the growth of demand for crude oil.

Royal Dutch Shell and Total, the French oil company, have been acquiring companies along the electricity supply chain, from renewable generation to battery storage to electric-car charging to domestic power.

The falling costs of renewable energy and batteries and improvement in electricity grid management, are breaking down the standard model of electricity supply. Households and businesses now can have access to their own local power resources, such as rooftop solar panels, battery storage and demand-responsive  technology, reducing energy consumption when there is a strain on the electricity grid.

Returns on capital have traditionally been lower in power generation than in the oil and gas sector, and industry analysts have questioned whether traditional oil-focused companies would be able to make the same level of profits from their new cleaner energy as in their dirtier business.

Royal Dutch Shell and other new entrants see their future in providing energy services from smart meters to batteries that can generate returns.

In Malaysia, both Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobli have divested their petrol operations to Asian investors. The oil and gas sector is controlled by Petronas, which also owns a vast network of petrol outlets. The electricity sector is controlled bt Tenaga National, which also runs the distribution networks and access to households. Both are owned by the Malaysian government.

While the penetration of electric-car is still low in Malaysia, car manufacturers are expected to introduce electric vehicles at the high-end segments and middle-end segments. We know more friends are switching to electric vehicles or hybrids. Petronas knows that their retail operation will be affected when drivers no longer need to fill-up at Petronas stations.  Today, petrol stations along the Malaysian north and south highway are congested with vehicles to fill-up petrol.

New battery technologies and aggressive new car companies such as Tesla will introduce newer electric vehicles with longer power life. Thus, consumers are enticed to switch to electric vehicles.

We are keenly observing how Petronas is going to meet the challenge of lower demand for petrol used in transportation. In 1980, when we worked in the Esso Refinery in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, as a refinery planner we projected a consistent demand for petrol annually. There was no falling demand!

Tropical Bio-actives

Cannabis extract could treat wide range of illnesses, says world-renowned Professor Roger Pertwee

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Professor Roger Pertwee, a world-renowned expert on cannabis

We noted an interesting article by Helen Puttick in the Times, March 25th, 2019. It is reported that cannabis extract cannabidiol (CBD) could be used to treat a wide range of ailments from arthritis and anxiety  to Parkinson’s disease, according to a world-leading expert on cannabis, Professor Roger Pertwee.  

This would be good news for many sufferers of these ailments, including our family. My father- in-law suffered Parkinson’s disease for a few years, having severe shaking hands. My wife is taking dietary supplements to reduce arthritis pain.  

Professor Roger Pertwee said that there should be multiple trials of treatments using the compound   CBD,  arguing that it  has excellent medical benefits and the side-effects are potentially fewer than many traditional drugs.

He believes that CBD could be used to treat a list of at least 15 conditions including pain, skin conditions, bowel disease, neurodegenerative disorders, depression, schizophrenia and the bone condition osteoporosis.

Professor Roger Pertwee, an emeritus professor at the University of Aberdeen who has won multiple awards for his research on CBD is one of the most cited researchers in the world, said  that people were self-medicating without knowing the safety of the products they had bought or grown themselves.

He called for users to report experiences to the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines to build up a picture of effectiveness. He used testimonies from multiple sclerosis patients using cannabis in a project which ultimately led to licensing the first cannabis-based medicine in the UK.

CBD became better known last year when parents of children with severe epilepsy in the UK secured a change in the law so they could obtain a drug containing the compound which can reduce seizures.

Professor Roger Pertwee, who is related to the former Dr Who actor Jon Pertwee, has been investigating CBD since the 1960s, and in the 1980s was involved in the publication of a paper showing that people produce cannabinoids themselves. He is working with collaborators in the US to see if drugs could boost this natural system and provide an alternative to current pain relief treatments.

He also believes that the CBD found in cannabis, or a synthetic equivalent, should be considered as a treatment for a wide variety of conditions. He said: “It has got a lot of potential uses. I think too many probably. There is evidence it is good for Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease. It might be a good anti-schizophrenia drug, but that needs to be tested properly.

Professor Roger Pertwee said that medicines must undergo clinical trials and secure approval as safe and effective.

“At the moment it is a crazy world where we have all these people producing cannabidiol or cannabis oils. How good some of them are we do not know. If there are risks to them, we know not.”

People growing cannabis plants may use insecticides on them and it was vital these were not present in the finished product. The plant can also change as it is bred, Professor Roger Pertwee said, and measures need to be taken to ensure each generation of the plant is identical.

Bio-data of Professor Roger Pertwee

Professor Roger Pertwee is Emeritus Professor of Neuropharmacology at the School of Medical Sciences, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. Professor Roger Pertwee has three degrees from the University of Oxford: MA (in biochemistry), D.Phil. (in pharmacology) and D.Sc. (in physiological sciences).

A note on extraction of CBD from cannabis

To extract CBD-rich cannabis oil, one must start with CBD-rich plant material. There are many ways to extract oil from the cannabis plant, each has its pros and cons. Some methods are safer and more effective than others. Cannabis oil made with neurotoxic solvents like butane and hexane may leave unsafe residues that compromise immune function and impede healing.

  • CO2 extraction. The supercritical (or subcritical) CO2 method uses carbon dioxide under high pressure and extremely low temperatures to isolate, preserve, and maintain the purity of the medicinal oil. This process requires expensive equipment and a steep operational learning curve. But, when done well the end product is safe, potent, and free of chlorophyll.
  • Ethanol. High-grade grain alcohol can be used to create high-quality cannabis oil appropriate for vape pen cartridges and other products. But this extraction method destroys the plant waxes, which may have health benefits that are favored by some product-makers.
  • Olive oil. Extra virgin or otherwise, olive oil can also be used to extract cannabis oil. Dr. Arno Hazekamp, director of phytochemical research at Bedrocan BV, which supplies medical cannabis for the Dutch Health Ministry, reports this method is both safe and inexpensive, “You won’t blow yourself up making cannabis-infused olive oil.” However, cannabis-infused olive oil–whether CBD-rich or THC-dominant–is perishable and should be stored in a cool, dark place.

Source:  https://www.projectcbd.org/guidance/cannabis-oil-extraction

Guest Contributor

Serai kayu – remedy for treating hypertension in East Coast of Malaysia

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A young serai kayu tree. Its leavers are used as condiments in local dishes

Syzygium polyanthum, common names Indonesian bay leaf in English, serai kayu in Malay is a mildly aromatic species of a wild flowering plant native to South East Asia under the Myrtaceae family. The plant is called by various names in Indonesia and Malaysia. In Indonesia its other names are daun salam, meselengan, ubar serai, gowok, manting and kastolam. In Malaysia the name serai kayu is more widely used in the east coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu in Peninsular Malaysia. In the west coast it is often call daun samak or daun salam. Used as food seasoning, serai kayu is often confused with Mediterranean bay laurel (Laurus nobilis, Lauraceae) which is used as food seasoning and flavoring. Serai kayu may to a certain extend has similar foliage and aroma to bay laurel but is from a different family.

The serai kayu plant or tree can grow to a height of 30 metres. The leaves are elliptic of 5 to 13 centimeters long and 3 to 6 centimeters wide. They are dark green in color and have a distinct aroma when crushed. The leaves contain citral and eugenol oil, tannin and flavanoid. The tree bears clusters of small, cream-colored flowers which attract bees, butterflies, wasps and other insects for nectar (good news for all beekeepers). The flowers produce whitish green drupes (small single seed fruits like berries) that turn to pink and dark red when fully ripe which attract birds, squirrels et cetera. The tree is of medium hardwood and suitable for making furniture and other house items. The leaves are the most important and sought after part of the plant, while the barks, roots and fruits are less frequently used though has medicinal value as well. The plant is easy to propagate, either from fruits (seeds) or cuttings.

Serai kayu trees used to be quite common in the country but with the flow of time, many were discarded and replaced with other more commercially valuable trees and somewhat forgotten. Nowadays, except in Kelantan and Terengganu, they are quite hard to find in the peninsular. The trees are relatively easy to find in these two states as their leaves feature prominently in many local dishes. Also in the two states their uses in traditional medicine are better known, hence are often kept or even planted at the back of the house for future uses when the need arises.

Use of serai kayu for cooking

In the states of Kelantan and Terengganu, in certain dishes the leaves are used more than just for seasoning. In dishes such as nasi kerabu, laksa and laksam for example, serai kayu leaves are such important ingredients that without them the dishes are considered incomplete. The leaves are also taken with rice as salads or ulam with or without sambal belacan (a side dish of blended or pounded chilly, shrimp paste, salt and squeezed lime juice taken with rice to complement the fish or ulam) or budu (fermented anchovies). In Indonesia the leaves are used as seasoning in cooking, usually in chicken, meat, fish and vegetable dishes. They give out a distinct pleasant aroma, much in the same way as bay leaves (bay laurel) are used in Mediterranean dishes.

Use of serai kayu in folk medicine

In the east coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu, the leaves of serai kayu are used to treat hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, gastritis, and diarrhea among others.

As for hypertension it has been a subject of study by a team of researches from the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Kubang Krian campus in Kelantan. The team had done a laboratory study on the treatment for hypertension using serai kayu on rats. In the study it was found that serai kayu was effective in lowering the blood pressure of the rats by as much as 30%. This research by the USM team was conducted in relation to the findings obtained from the National Health Morbidity Surveys (NHMS) done in 1996 and 2006. The findings revealed inter alia, a much lower than expected incidence of hypertension in Kelantan vis-à-vis the national average. The figure for Kelantan was only 13.9% while national average was 40.5%. (In the first NHMS conducted in 1996, 32.4% or 2.6 millions of Malaysian above 30 years old had hypertension. In the second survey done ten years later, the percentage of Malaysian above 30 that had hypertension had jumped to 40.5%. Ironically however for the state of Kelantan, from out of 2,508 subjects surveyed, only 13.9% had hypertension). This revealing article had appeared in the online version of Berita Harian, a Malaysian newspaper on 30th, September 2014.

From the research conducted one can surmise that consuming serai kayu on a regular basis, as well as taking serai kayu as remedy for hypertension were likely factors that contributed to the lower incidence of hypertension recorded in the state. It is common knowledge that many people in Kelantan and Terengganu took to serai kayu as a remedy for hypertension. Serai kayu features prominently in many foods there as well.

Awareness is on the rise

People are now rediscovering serai kayu as a prized plant, not just as a food seasoning but also as a remedy for various illnesses. Its medicinal value has long been known in traditional medicine but the knowledge was not widespread and developed enough to gain wider acceptance. This could be due to the lack of Research and Development (R&D) as well as communication limitation. However, with the digital technology and the widespread use of social media, time is changing and the futures looks brighter. Now, more and more people are talking and discussing about the subject in blogs and facebooks. Even universities and other research institutions are undertaking various researches on this subject. All aimed at either to unearth more of its secrets, to confirm what has already been known or to commercialize the findings.  It is interesting to see that serai kayu saplings are now easily available in nurseries, both conventional and online, and people are buying them. Serai kayu products in powder and extract forms are also already on the market.

Besides uses in culinary and medicine the plants have the potential to be used as ornamental trees and beautify the landscape. They have nice foliage and crowns to do the job especially when they bloom. They can also be grown to provide shades in gardens, parks, parking lots et cetera.

Comments by Dato’ Dr Anuar Md Nor

The serai kayu is a multi-purpose tree. Its leaves and fruits are used in dishes and treatment of various aliments. Its fruits feed various birds. Unfortunately, the serai kayu tree has been abandoned for more commercial trees.

Everyone must plant the serai kayu tree to sustain its species for our future generation.

About the guest contributor

Mr Ahmad Rozi is a stingless bee farmer in Terengganu, Malaysia. He writes on interesting topics about foods, places and traditional medicines in his state and region.