Fahrul Huyop

• BSc Hons. (Biotechnology) PhD (Biochemistry&Molecular Biology of Pollutant Degradation) United Kingdom
• Professor at University of Technology Malaysia

Despite extensive characterization of its biochemical properties, Acinetobacter haemolyticus recombinant alkaline-stable lipase KV1 (Lip-KV1) remains unexplored in crosslinked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) as a means to enhance its catalytic performance. This research focused on optimizing the preparation of Lip-KV1CLEAs through the application of resp...

Honey production is susceptible to manipulation by un- scrupulous sellers, making honey authentication crucial to prevent fraud. The process of authenticating honey often necessitates the use of various analytical techniques, such as identifying the chemicals present in honey by means of hyphenated mass spectrometry. Here, we report on the investig...

Enzymatic treatment on lignocellulosic biomass has become a trend in preparing nanocellulose (NC), but the process must be optimized to guarantee high production yield and crystallinity. This study offers insights into an innovative protocol using cultivated fungal cellulase and xylanase to improve NC production from raw oil palm leaves (OPL) using...

Southern Asian flowers offer honeybees a diversity of nectar. Based on its geographical origin, honey quality varies. Traditional methods are less authentic than DNA-based identification. The origin of honey is determined by pollen, polyphenolic, and macro-microorganisms. In this study, amplicon sequencing targets macro-microorganisms in eDNA using...

Newbouldia laevis, also known as the African Border Tree or Fever Tree, is a deciduous tree native to West Africa. The plant is valued for its medicinal properties and is used in traditional medicine for its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. N. laevis, is a storage tank of phytochemicals with huge health benefits and performances globall...

Limited honey production worldwide leads to higher market prices, thus making it prone to adulteration. Therefore, regular physicochemical analysis is imperative for ensuring authenticity and safety. This study describes the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of Apis cerana honey sourced from the islands of Lombok and Bali, showing their un...

There are mounting concerns over the high concentrations of non-biogenic, toxic halogenated organic compounds being liberated into the ecosystem. Therefore, this study’s isolation of a novel bacterium from a contaminated stream in Fatsa, Ordu, Turkey, adept in degrading 2,2-dichloropropionic (of 2,2-DCP) is a welcome endeavor. The ability of the ba...

There are mounting concerns over the high concentrations of non-biogenic, toxic halogen-ated organic compounds being liberated into the ecosystem. Therefore, this study's isolation of a novel bacterium from a contaminated stream in Fatsa, Ordu, Turkey, adept in degrading 2,2-dichloropropionic (of 2,2-DCP) is a welcome endeavor. The ability of the b...

The present study aimed to investigate the decolorization of various commercial dyes by azoreductases (AzrBmH21, AzrBmH22/3, and AzrBmH24/5) through bioinformatics means, comprising molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA). Therefore, four commercial dyes, namely acid orange...

The microbiological composition of honey can include microorganisms that are beneficial or harmful to human health. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the micro-biological quality of different honey types available in the market. However, there is limited information available on the analysis, isolation, and characterization of honey-associa...

Green honey, was discovered on Banggi Island, Sabah, showing high in essential amino acids and chlorophyll derivatives. Despite its lucrative market potential owing to its distinctive color, uncertainties persist regarding its nature. This study leverages amplicon sequencing by targeting micro- and macro-organisms present in honey environmental DNA...

Zebrafish is a developing vertebrate model with several advantages, including its small size, and high experimental efficiency. Malaysia exhibit one of the highest diabetes rates in the Western Pacific and incurring an annual cost of 600 million US dollars. The objective of the study is to determine the antidiabetic properties of green honey (GH) u...

Enzymes are commonly used as biocatalysts for various biological and chemical processes in industrial applications. However, their limited operational stability, catalytic efficiency, poor reusability, and high-cost hamper further industrial usage. Thus, crosslinked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) are developed as a better enzyme immobilization tool to e...

This study aimed to identify the ideal conditions for producing extracellular enzymes of Trichoderma harzianum and Aspergillus fumigatus by solid-state fermentation using untreated oil palm leaves as the substrate. The solid-state fermentation (SSF) process, which produces high yields of the fungal enzymes, was optimised for parameters, such as ini...

A chronic metabolic condition, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) typically presents with hyperglycemia owing to elevated tissue insulin resistance or inadequate insulin release. In addition to the use of pharmaceutical agents and lifestyle changes for the management of T2DM, supplementation with various vitamins and minerals has also been proven to b...

The green honey food product from honeybee is produced in the forest's subsurface region on Banggi Island, Because of its uniqueness, the product attracts a great market price. Naturally the honey doesn’t acquire microorganisms due to strong chemical property and dormant nature. Major causes of microbial contamination are probable to include pollen...

The present study aimed to investigate the decolorization of various commercial dyes through bioinformatics analysis, utilizing techniques such as molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MMPBSA). These analyses were conducted on different commercial dyes to evaluate their potential f...

Objective Honey production is susceptible to manipulation by unscrupulous sellers, making honey authentication crucial to prevent fraud. The process of authenticating honey often necessitates the use of various analytical techniques, such as identifying the chemicals present in honey through LC-MS/MS QTOF systems. Therefore, determining the chemica...

Objective Honey has been valued for its therapeutic properties since ancient times. This study focuses on the unique characteristics and bioactive compounds of Tualang Honey (TH) and a newly discovered Green Honey (GH) from Banggi Island's forest subsurface region. The uniqueness of the green honey product has led to a high market value, distinguis...

Objectives Pollen is a useful tool for identifying the provenance and complex ecosystems surrounding honey production in Malaysian forests. As native key pollinators in Malaysia, Apis dorsata and Heterotrigona itama forage on various plant/pollen species to collect honey. This study aims to generate a dataset that uncovers the presence of these pla...

The green honey food product from honeybee is produced in the forest's subsurface region on Banggi Island, Because of its uniqueness, the product attracts a great market price. Naturally the honey doesn’t acquire microorganisms due to strong chemical property and dormant nature. Major causes of microbial contamination are probable to include pollen...

The presence of synthetic dyes in water bodies and soil is one of the major issues affecting the global ecology, possibly impacting societal well-being adversely due to the colorants' recalcitrance and toxicity. Herein, the study spectrophotometrically monitored the ability of the Bacillus megaterium H2 azoreductase (AzrBmH2) to degrade four synthe...

Dehalogenase-producing bacterium has been extensively studied due to their ability to reduce pollution in the environment. A previous study reported that Bacillus megaterium WSH-002 contains a putative haloacid dehalogenase type II gene, therefore, the presence of other genes associated with the dehalogenase regulatory gene function and uptake of h...

The green honey food product from honeybee is produced in the forest's subsurface region on Banggi Island, Because of its uniqueness, the product attracts a great market price. Naturally the honey doesn’t acquire microorganisms due to strong chemical property and dormant nature. Major causes of microbial contamination are probable to include pollen...

This study presents the initial structural model of L-haloacid dehalogenase (DehLBHS1) from Bacillus megaterium BHS1, an alkalotolerant bacterium known for its ability to degrade halogenated environmental pollutants. The model provides insights into the structural features of DehLBHS1 and expands our understanding of the enzymatic mechanisms involv...

Plastic or microplastic pollution is a global threat affecting ecosystems, with the current generation reaching as much as 400 metric tons per/year. Soil ecosystems comprising agricultural lands act as microplastics sinks, though the impact could be unexpectedly more far-reaching. This is troubling as most plastic forms, such as polyethylene tereph...

This paper reports the characterization and antibacterial performance evaluation of some spherical and stable crystalline silver (Ag)/copper (Cu) nanocomposites (Ag-CuNCs) prepared in deionized water (DIW) using pulse laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) method. The influence of various laser fluences (LFs) on the structural, morphological, optical and...

Green honey is exclusively available on the island of Banggi in Sabah, and its uniqueness sees the commodity being sold at a high market price. Therefore, green honey is prone to adulteration by unscrupulous individuals, possibly compromising the health of those consuming this food commodity for its curative properties. Moreover, an established sta...

Halogenated organic compounds are found as waste in the biosphere and can cause numerous dilemmas because of their toxicity and persistence in the environment. They play a major role in the quality of life of both, human beings and other living organisms. Degradation of these compounds by microorganisms is significant to reduce re-calcitrant and co...

Current study was to investigate the presence of dehalogenase in the isolated bacterium from Selat Tebrau that can grow on 2,2-dichloropropionic acid (2,2-DCP is an active compound in herbicide Dalapon®). Strain RN1, a Gram-negative and rod in shape was tentatively identified as Enterobacter cancerogenus based on basic biochemical and the 16S rRNA...

Alternative solutions are eminently needed to combat the escalating number of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria are promising candidates for next-generation antibiotics. Studies have found that these stable and nontoxic ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptide...

Background: Honey produced by Heterotrigona itama is highly preferred among consumers due to its high-value as a functional food and beneficial lactic acid bacteria (LAB) reservoir. Fructophilic lactic acid bacteria (FLAB) are a group of LAB with unique growth characteristics and are regarded as promising producers of bioactive compounds. Hence, i...

Efficacy of a β-1,4-glucosidase from Trichoderma harzianum T12 (ThBglT12) in disrupting the cell wall of the phytopathogenic fungus M. phaseolina (Macrophomina phaseolina) was studied, as the underlying molecular mechanisms of cell wall recognition remains elusive. In this study, the binding location identified by a consensus of residues predicted...

Fungal plant diseases can severely damage oil palm crops and compromise agricultural yields. To ensure a high crop yield while keeping the fungal pathogens at bay, microbial control to combat such diseases offers a more sustainable alternative to chemical control. It is safer to replace chemical fungicides with eco-friendly bio formulations contain...

Macrofungi belonging to the family "Polyporaceae" in the phylum Basidiomycota are among the commonplace causal agents of plant diseases. In the present study, we reported the molecular characterization of a macrofungi basidiomycetous brown-rot fungal phytopathogen Fomitopsis strain MM4. The fungal phytopatho-gen was identified and molecularly chara...

Purpose This paper focuses on monitoring the behavior of five different types of waste and humus during compost- ing to see the impact of the nature of the substrate on the process and the quality of mature compost. Method Green waste, coffee waste, household waste (Fraction of the household waste which having dimensions smaller than 8 mm) and humu...

Microbial-assisted removal of natural or synthetic pollutants is the prevailing green, low-cost technology to treat polluted environments. However, the challenge with enzyme-assisted bioremediation is the laborious nature of dehalogenase-producing microorganisms’ bioprospecting. This bottleneck could be circumvented by in-silico analysis of certain...

Pollution of the environment by organohalide compounds is a worldwide issue. Organohalide-degrading microbes isolated from such contaminated environments or extreme habitats could be key agents for the bioremediation of pollutants. We previously identified this bacterium as Bacillus thuringiensis H2 based on biochemical and 16S rRNA analysis. Howev...

Microorganisms adapted to conditions of high salinity (low water activity) provide an understanding on how the problem of maintaining an efficient cell integrity under high osmotic stress conditions that had been tackled naturally. Almost all microbes adapting to extreme situations either by intracellularly amass inorganic ions (K+) to counterbalan...

This is the first structural model of L-haloacid dehalogenase (DehLBHS1) isolated from alkalotolerant Bacillus megaterium BHS1, which has been known to degrading halogenated environmental contaminants. The study suggested five important key amino acid residues of DehLBHS1, namely Arg40, Phe59, Asn118, Asn176 and Trp178 important for catalysis and m...

Aims: The surplus use of herbicide Dalapon® contains 2,2-dichloropropionic acid (2,2-DCP) poses great danger to human and ecosystem due to its toxicity. Hence, this study focused on the isolation and characterization of a dehalogenase producing bacteria from Sungai Skudai, Johor, capable of utilizing 2,2-DCP as a carbon source and in silico analysi...

The cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) contains a significant amount of antioxidants, especially when harvested at the right time. The present study evaluated differences in nutrients, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity of cucumbers grown in Kundasang, Malaysia, at the semi-ripe fruit (SR) and ripe fruit (R) maturation stages. Independent...

Increased scientific interest has led to the rise in biotechnological uses of halophilic and halotolerant microbes for hypersaline wastewater bioremediation. Hence, this study performed molecular docking, molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, and validation by Molecular Mechanic Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) calculations on the DehH2 from...

Micro-and nano plastic pollution poses a global threat and causes a future problem, and needs greater global attention. Its pollution is exacerbated recently by the excessive use of plastic polymers to prevent and handle the COVID-19 pandemic at a global scale. This review covered the major concerns about the characteristics, effect, and bioremedia...

Current study is to establish a basic plant tissue culture of Nicotiana tabacum TAPM 26 and test the plant tissue on resistancies against 2,2 DCP an active ingredient in herbicide-Dalapon. During micropropagation, the surface sterilization method was ascertained on seeds of tobacco. HgCl2 was used to disinfect tobacco seeds at different concentrati...

Halogenated compound such as 2,2-dichloropropionic acid is known for its toxicity and polluted many areas especially with agricultural activities. This study focused on the isolation and characterization of the bacterium that can utilise 2,2-dichloropropionic acid from palm oil plantation in Lenga, Johor and in silico analysis of putative dehalogen...

The maturation stage of Cucumis sativus is among the important factors affecting its composition and quality. Hence, this study monitored the differences in total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity, pigment and colour of Keningau-grown cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) at two stages of maturities, namely the semi-ripe (SR) and ripe (R). The...

Chitin is a polysaccharide component of the inner cell wall of fungi that has been used to estimate fungal invasion in plant products. However, its detection in major pathogenic fungal species has not been investigated. The present study aimed to determine the chitin contents of pathogenic fungal species in order to evaluate its diagnostic potentia...

BACKGROUND The growing demand for cellulases and xylanases in lignocellulosic degradation and reutilization has spurred the need for their improved production at reduced cost. Abundantly available oil palm leaves (OPL) promise an alternative and sustainable substrate for producing such enzymes in the degradation and biotransformation of unwanted li...

Current study is to establish a basic plant tissue culture of Nicotiana tabacum TAPM 26 and test the plant tissue on resistancies against 2,2 DCP an active ingredient in herbicide-Dalapon. During micropropagation, the surface sterilization method was ascertained on seeds of tobacco. HgCl2 was used to disinfect tobacco seeds at different concentrati...

An integral approach to decoding both culturable and uncultured microorganisms' metabolic activity involves the whole genome sequencing (WGS) of individual/complex microbial communities. WGS of culturable microbes, amplicon sequencing, metagenomics, and single-cell genome analysis are selective techniques integrating genetic information and biochem...

This study was conducted to assess the potential association between leptin (LEP) gene polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Iraqi patients. Genomic DNA was extracted from 120 diabetic subjects and 100 controls. Three specific PCR fragments were designed to flank three highly frequent single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)s within LEP,...

Water spinach ( Ipomoea aquatic Forsk.) is a food for human beings and animals. It is rich in minerals, protein, dietary fibre, with high moisture content. The work was undertaken to determine contents of K, Ca, Mg, Na & P in the stems, leaves and petioles of water spinach. Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and Inductive Couple Plasma (ICP) were...

Purpose: Bacillus megaterium strain BHS1, isolated from an alkaline water sample taken from Mavi Gölü (Blue Lake, Turkey), can grow on minimal medium containing 2,2-dichloropropionic acid. We characterized this bacterium at the genomic level. Methods: The HiSeq platform was used to carry out genome sequencing, de novo assembly, and scaffolding with...

Dehalogenases are microbial enzyme catalysed the cleavage of carbon-halogen bond of halogenated organic compounds. It has potential use in the area of biotechnology such as bioremediation and chemical industry. Halogenated organic compounds can be found in a considerable amount in the environment due to utilization in agriculture and industry, such...

Halogenated compounds are extensively utilized in different industrial applications such as pesticides and herbicides and cause severe environmental problems because of their toxicity and persistence. Degradation of these compounds by the biological method is a significant method to reduce these recalcitrant. Mesorhizobium loti is important for nit...

This study was conducted to assess the potential association between leptin (LEP) gene polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Iraqi patients. Genomic DNA was extracted from 120 diabetic subjects and 100 controls. Three specific PCR fragments were designed to flank three highly frequent single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)s within LEP,...

Commercially available mouthwash formulations are often medicated and contain chemicals that may elicit adverse effects to the users. A mouthwash may be recommended for its efficacy in preventing dental caries and other oral conditions due to its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Therefore, it is essential to raise awarenes...

In the recent years, lactic acid bacteria species such as Lactobacillus are considering one of the important species of probiotics used in the food processing sector to produce fermented products and play a significant role for the transformation and preservation of food products. Besides, there is a huge exploration of new molecules that promote h...

The oral cavity is a home to more than 500 bacterial species. Although some of the oral bacteria are harmless, there are certain species that may cause oral plaques, bad breath, and mouth disease. Thus, maintaining a good oral hygiene is essential for a healthy mouth and body. The present study aimed to formulate a polyherbal mouthwash that may hav...

The 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing technique is a key aspect of studies of microbial communities but does not provide direct evidence of a community’s functional capabilities. This work aimed to assess the structure of the uncultured bacterial communities from two locations in Lake Tuz in Turkey to provide information on their roles in the lake ecosy...

Probiotics are live microorganisms and offer health benefits to the digestive system and used in the production of many fermented foods. Non-digestible carbohydrates are dietary fibers which cannot be digested and absorbed by the small intestine. Strains of Lactobacillus, are among the most common and popular group of probiotics and added to many d...

The high dependency and surplus use of agrochemical products have liberated enormous quantities of toxic halogenated pollutants into the environment and threaten the well-being of humankind. Herein, this study performed molecular docking, molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, molecular mechanics-Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) calculations o...

The use of herbicide is important in the modern integrated weed management system. However, herbicide also can kill valuable crops and cause significant losses in agricultural activity. One of the solutions to this problem is by developing herbicide resistant plant for instance using dehD gene from Rhizobial system. In this study, we developed tran...

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of upland rice is established in few numbers of cultivars due to the high cultivar-specificity of regeneration from transformed explants. Further, dehalogenase E (dehE) gene had been characterized in Pseudomonas putida and it produces an enzyme that degrades dalapon. This study aimed to transform Turkish upland...

This review aims to briefly describe the potential role of dehalogenase-producing halophilic bacteria in decontamination of organohalide pollutants. Hypersaline habitats pose challenges to life because of low water activity (water content) and is considered as the largest and ultimate sink for pollutants due to naturally and anthropogenic activitie...

Starch-branching enzymes (SBE) serves as the only enzyme generating glucan branches in green plants and consequently plays a significant role on the resulting starch final structure. Research on rice (Oryza sativa) SBE1 (OsSBE1) structural biology remain untapped. Therefore, there is a necessity for research on the enzyme molecular structure which...

In vitro regeneration of Nicotiana tabacum was efficiently achieved using growth regulators combination supplemented into semi-solid MS medium using leaves from 1-month-old plant as explants. The growth regulators used were NAA for auxin (0.0, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mgL-1) and BAP (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 mgL-1). The effects of growth regulator comb...

Starch-branching enzymes (SBE) serves as the only enzyme generating glucan branches in green plants and consequently plays a significant role on the resulting starch final structure. Research on rice (Oryza sativa) SBE1 (OsSBE1) structural biology remain untapped. Therefore, there is a necessity for research on theenzyme molecular structure which c...

The stingless bee Heterotrigona itama honey is generating interest among consumers due to unique antibacterial properties. Despite the substantial health benefits of this honey, its action mode of inhibiting and killing pathogenic bacteria remains unresolved. The present study aimed to unravel the effect of raw H. itama honey against four clinicall...

Halogenated compounds are an important class of environmental pollutants that are widely used in industrial chemicals such as solvents, herbicides, and pesticides. Many studies have been carried out to explore the biodegradation of these chemicals. Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) is one of the main halogenated compounds that are carcinogenic to humans a...

As yet, the full potential of raw oil palm frond leaves (OPFL) is not fully explored. This study therefore, evaluated OPFL as cheap and sustainable growth substrate for two novel fungi species to produce cellulase and xylanase under solid-state fermentation (SSF). 18S rRNA, phylogeny and BIOLOG® analyses identified the cellulase and xylanase-produc...

The indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides alongside the expansion of large-scale industries globally can critically jeopardize marine ecology and the well-being of mankind. This is because the agricultural runoffs and industrial effluents eventually enter waterways before flowing into highly saline environments i.e., oceans. Herein, the study a...

The nutritional benefits of stingless bee ( Heterotrigona itama ) honey originates from a complex of essential nutrients including carbohydrates, organic acids alongside an assortment of live lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Nonetheless, little is known about the nutritional composition over an extended storage duration. Herein, this study assessed the...

Spherical Cin-NCs were prepared in citric acid via nanosecond pulse laser ablation. • Physiochemical traits of these NCs strongly depended on the laser fluence. • Morphology and structure of Cin-NCs was controlled via laser fluence variation. • Cin-NCs containing cinnamaldehyde compounds showed strong antibacterial action. • Achieved Cin-NCs were s...

Rhizobium sp. RC1 grows on haloalkanoic acid (haloacid) pollutants and expresses a haloacid permease (DehrP) which mediates the uptake of haloacids into the cells. For the first time, we report the homology model and docking analysis of DehrP and proposed its putative binding residues. The Protein Data Bank for protein of similar sequence. Ligand s...

We previously reported on a mutant lipase KV1 (Mut-LipKV1) from Acinetobacter haemolyticus which optimal pH was raised from 8.0 to 11.0 after triple substitutions of surface aspartic acid (Asp) with lysine (Lys). Herein, this study further examined the Mut-LipKV1 by molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and molecular mechanics-Pois...

Halogenated organic compounds are extensively and widely used as pesticides, herbicides, and antibiotics that contribute to the pollution. This research was aimed to further analyze and characterize a bacterium that has the ability to utilize 2,2-dichloropropionic acid (2,2-DCP) as a model to study dehalogenase enzyme production. Microscopic observ...

Haloacid dehalogenases catalyse the cleavage of carbon − halogen bonds in halogenated organic acids. These enzymes are of high interest due to their potential applications in bioremediation and in synthesis of various industrial products. The efficiency of dehalogenases in various applications can be enhanced, provided that their molecular catalyti...