Comparative analysis of statistical tools for oil palm phytochemical research.

Recent advances in phytochemical analysis have allowed the accumulation of data for crop researchers due to its capacity to footprint and distinguish metabolites that are present within an organisms, tissues or cells. Apart from genotypic traits, slight changes either by biotic or abiotic stimuli will have significant impact on the metabolite abundances and will eventually be observed through physicochemical characteristics. Apposite data mining to interpret the mounds of phytochemical information from such a dynamic system is thus incumbent.

Sustainable Palm Oil-The Role of Screening and Advanced Analytical Techniques for Geographical Traceability and Authenticity Verification.

Palm oil production from oil palm ( Jacq.) is vital for the economy of Malaysia. As of late, sustainable production of palm oil has been a key focus due to demand by consumer groups, and important progress has been made in establishing standards that promote good agricultural practices that minimize impact on the environment.

Deciphering key proteins of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) fruit mesocarp development by proteomics and chemometrics.

Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from lipid-rich fleshy mesocarp tissue of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) fruit and is of global economic and nutritional relevance. While the understanding of oil biosynthesis in plants is improving, the fundamentals of oil biosynthesis in oil palm still require further investigations.

Application of Proteomics Technologies in Oil Palm Research.

Proteomics technologies were first applied in the oil palm research back in 2008. Since proteins are the gene products that are directly correspond to phenotypic traits, proteomic tools hold a strong advantage above other molecular tools to comprehend the biological and molecular mechanisms in the oil palm system. These emerging technologies have been used as non-overlapping tools to link genome-wide transcriptomics and metabolomics-based studies to enhance the oil palm yield and quality through sustainable plant breeding.

Application of a Mass Spectrometric Approach to Detect the Presence of Fatty Acid Biosynthetic Phosphopeptides.

The details of plant lipid metabolism are relatively well known but the regulation of fatty acid production at the protein level is still not understood. Hence this study explores the importance of phosphorylation as a mechanism to control the activity of fatty acid biosynthetic enzymes using low and high oleic acid mesocarps of oil palm fruit (Elaeis guineensis variety of Tenera). Adaptation of neutral loss-triggered tandem mass spectrometry and selected reaction monitoring to detect the neutral loss of phosphoric acid successfully found several phosphoamino acid-containing peptides.

Method developments to extract proteins from oil palm chromoplast for proteomic analysis.

Proteins from the plant chromoplast are essential for many physiological processes such as fatty acid biosynthesis. Different protein extraction methods were tested to find the most robust method to obtain oil palm chromoplast proteins for mass spectrometry analysis. Initially, two different solvents were employed to reduce the fruit lipids.

Characterization of apigenin and luteolin derivatives from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) leaf using LC-ESI-MS/MS.

The palm oil industry generates several byproducts, and more than half of the dry weight of the waste is of oil palm leaf whereby the tissue is underutilized. Recently, several research studies found promising potential of oil palm fronds as a source of nutraceutical due to its bioactive properties. However, the chemical composition of the tissue is still not deciphered.

Combination of acid labile detergent and C18 Empore™ disks for improved identification and sequence coverage of in-gel digested proteins.

A protocol for improved extraction of peptides from in-gel protein digests, using a combination of the acid labile surfactant, sodium deoxycholate (SDC) and C18 Empore™ membranes, is presented. This approach results in better mass spectrum quality, higher numbers of identified peptide peaks and improved identification scores compared to standard tryptic digestion protocols, or protocols using only SDC or only C18 Empore™ disks. The advantages of the new protocol are demonstrated for two different types of samples: Merino wool intermediate filament proteins and Elaeis guineensis (oil palm) mesocarp proteins.

Characterization of a KCS-like KASII from Jessenia bataua that elongates saturated and monounsaturated stearic acids in Arabidopsis thaliana.

As the world population grows, the demand for food increases. Although vegetable oils provide an affordable and rich source of energy, the supply of vegetable oils available for human consumption is limited by the "fuel vs food" debate. To increase the nutritional value of vegetable oil, metabolic engineering may be used to produce oil crops of desirable fatty acid composition.