Additives and their Halalness

Additives are added intentionally in a small amount apart from the main ingredients to produce certain effects. The additives are not commonly regarded as a food. These exclude fortifying-nutrients ,herbs and spices, air, water and others. The additives could be natural , nature-identical or artificial compounds. Additives should be strictly regulated and proven to be safe . Through long process of chemical studies to determine whether the substances could have harmful effects such as cancer and birth defects, the results is presented to FDA to determine how the additive used . Two categories of substances that exempt from testing are GRAS ( generally recognised as safe) which the extensive past use without harmful side effects and substances that are approved by FDA and USDA before 1958. the use of these substances should be declared on food labels using either chemical names or E-numbers. These numbers are used internationally to identify all additives internationally. Some additives which are unsafe for consumption are sodium nitrate , saccharin and some artificial colors. The main functions of additives are to increase the shelf-life of food as a preservative , prevent food from being a source for food poisoning , to aid in food manufacturing or processing and to improve maintain the food quality. There are several categories of food additives such as acids, anti-caking agents, anti-foaming agents,antioxidants, bulking agents, food colourings , emulsifiers , flavours, flavour enhancers , humectants , preservatives , stabilizers , sweeteners and thickeners. Examples are citric acid used as acids in many types of beverages and aspartame used a sweeteners. The foods are determined to be halal or haram according to the source , presence of najs and processing and handling which might contact with najs. Someof the issues regarding the usage of certain additives include gelatine, flavouring , enzymes, emulsifiers and glycerine. Gelatin is derived from animal connective tissue collagen . The main sources include pigskin, cattle hides,cattle bones and fish skin. The source of gelatin is not specified on food label thus it is better for a muslim to avoid food containing gelatine. Gelatin is commonly found in gummies, marshmallow, bars and ice cream as an gelling agent. The glycerine and emulsifiers used are not haram unless containing pork or non-halal sources. Enzymes obtained from animals should be from halal animals and the animals should be slaughtered according to halal way. Enzymes are used in various food industries such as fruit juice, cheese and baked products. In cheese-making, chymosin is used to coagulate milk , lipase is for ripening and lactase is to increase digestibility. The flavourings used could be dairy, natural or artificial. The process flavour like meat flavour from beef or pork could be used in formulation of seasonings. There are also hydrolysis of fats by lipase enzyme from animals . Alcoholic flavouring or fermentation by-products are also avoided. The alcohol powder or flavouring is commonly used in ice cream, beverages and chocolate. Some natural coloring from insects like cochineal should be avoided. Generally there is agreement among muslims regarding the additives made from plant and synthesized chemically but disagreements of the permissibility of animal sources which are not halal and not slaughtered according to halal way. there are generally two opinions on this, which are al-istihlak and al-istihalah. al-istihlak refers to a small amount of najs or prohibited materials is dissolved and assimilated in dominant subtances that none of the smell, taste or color of dominant subtances has changed, then it is permissible. For example a small amount of prohibited enzymes used in foods could be allowed according to above specifications. According to al-istihalah , if the najs and prohibited subtance has undergone through chemical reaction that transform it to a different substance with different properties and name, then it is permissible. For example like fat being broken down into glycerol and fatty acids. This transformation process is known as istihalah. For example, soaps that are made of pig fats that has gone through istihalal it would be permissible. There is also an opinion about gelatine which is not considered to undergo istihalal. This is due to the same chemical composition after processing the collagen into gelatine. It has only undergone partial chemical change. However, it is more important to check that collagen has switched to a new entity called gelatine so it is permissible. It is important for muslim to eat food according to principle Halalan thoyyiban which means foods that are wholesome and obeying the Shariah law .

MS1500

Malaysian Standard MS 1500:2009 is the second revision of the general guidelines on the production , preparation, handling and storage of Halal food. The Department of Standards Malaysia(STANDARD MALAYSIA) is the standard and accreditation body in Malaysia. Malaysian Standards (MS) are developed through consensus by committees which comprise balanced representation of producers, users , consumers and others with relevant interest and are adopted form International standards. Approval of a standard is governed by the Standards of Malaysia Act 1996 . The Malaysian Standard is reviewed periodically. STANDARDS MALAYSIA has appointed SIRIM Berhad as an agent to develop , distribute and sell Malaysian Standards. However , this standard does not contain all requirements which may be required for certification.

The content of MS1500:2009 also defines Shariah law as Islamic law based on Hadith , Quran , Qiyas and Ijmas accodring Mazhab Shafie , Maliki , Hanbali or Hanafi school of Thoughts or Fatwa that is approved by the relevant Islamic Authority. The term "Halal" is defined as things and actions that are permitted by Shariah law. Halal Foods are defined as foods and drinks permitted under the Shariah law . Animals used must be Halal and the foods should not contain najs .Najs includes dogs , pigs , non-halal contaminated halal food, non-halal contacted halal foods, anything that is discharged from orifices of human beings and animals including urine , blood , vomit , pus , placenta , excrement , sperm and ova of pigs and dogs , animal carrions of non-halal Slaughtering and also Khamar food. The Najs is divided into 3 categories which are Mukhaffafah(light) , Mutawassitah (medium) and Mughallazah (severe) cases. The foods should be safe for consumption .

Competent authority is the agency which is entrusted by the government to carry out specified work according to prescribed requirements. Premises are buildings , structure and land used in connection with the whole processing of Halal foods. The premises shall be designed and constructed to enable efficient process flow that minimizes the risk of contamination. The processing equipments and machines are ensured to be not contaminated. The MS1500 also specifies the hygiene , sanitation and food safety. The halal foods shall be processed , packed and distributed under hygienic condition according to Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). The requirements for the processing of Halal foods include suitable sources either animals from land or aquatic animals ,plants , mushroom and microorganisms , chemicals and minerals , drinks and genetically-modified foods. Animals that live both on lands and water , pigs and dogs , animals that use long pointed teeth and tusks to kill preys, predator birds , pests and poisonous animals , Islam-forbidden animals and repulsive animals are not halal . Animals fed with najs should be avoided.

The Malaysian Standards also describe the slaughtering act as the severing of Trachea , oesophagus , both carotid arteries and jugular veins to hasten the bleeding and death of animals. The requirements for slaughtering process should include the required identity of the slaughterman , certificate for halal slaughter, niyyah , conditions of animals at slaughtering, tasmiyyah , facing to the Qiblah, sharp and clean knife , the correct slaughtering position and the slaughtering should be done only once. The further processing, handling, distribution, storage , transportation , display , sale and servings of halal food is also specified to avoid contamination. The packaging, labelling and advertising have to include non-confusing information and also a halal certification mark . A muslim supervisor checks if the slaughtering is carried out according to Halal way.

The MS1500 also describes the general requirements for the use of stunning in slaughtering . But , stunning is not usually recommended. The stunning should not injure or kill the animals and avoid contamination of the animals.The last part of the MS1500 includes the method of ritual cleansing like seven times of washing . The water and soil for washing shall be mustamal and free form najs.

good chem website

http://csi.chemie.tu-darmstadt.de/ak/immel/script/redirect.cgi?filename=http://csi.chemie.tu-darmstadt.de/ak/immel/tutorials/chirality/index.html

Bioenergetics and thermodynamics studies in biochemical reaction.

Bioenergetics is the studies of how organisms manage their energy resources and how energy is transformed in biological systems.it is the studies of the energy changes accompanying biochemical reactions.it provides the underlying principles to explain why some reactions may occur while others do not.

The change in free Gibb's energy or the Gibb's free energy is that portion of the total energy change in a system that is available for doing work.

if the change in free Gibbs energy is positive,the reaction is endergonic and non-spontaneous.
if the change in free Gibbs energy is negative,the reaction is exergonic and spontaneous.

at equilibrium,the change in free Gibbs energy is zero.

the first law of thermodynamics states that the total energy of a system including its surroundings,remains constant.However,the energy may be transformed or tranfered to another form of energy.

The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of the system must increase for a reaction to occur spontaneously.Entropy is the measure of the degree of randomness and disorder of a system while enthalpy is the heat content of a system.Entropy is a portion of the enthalphy that is not available to do useful work.

Catabolism is an exergonic process releasing energy that involves the break down and oxidation of molecules.
Anabolism is an endergonic process requiring energy input that involves the building up of substances.
A metabolism consists of catabolism and anabolism.it is the sum of the chemical reactions of biomolecules in an organism.

blood clots!!!!

When bleeding from a wound suddenly occurs, the platelets gather at the wound and attempt to block the blood flow. The mineral calcium, vitamin K, and a protein called fibrinogen help the platelets form a clot.

A clot begins to form when the blood is exposed to air. The platelets sense the presence of air and begin to break apart. They react with the fibrinogen to begin forming fibrin, which resembles tiny threads. The fibrin threads then begin to form a web-like mesh that traps the blood cells within it. This mesh of blood cells hardens as it dries, forming a clot, or "scab."
Calcium and vitamin K must be present in blood to support the formation of clots.

bruise, or black-and-blue mark, is the result of a blood clot. Both scabs and bruises are clots that lead to healing.

Muscle contraction and nervous system

muscle fibre consists of thin and thick filament.Thin filament is made up of actin filament with troponin attached to it.The thick filament consists of the myosin filament .Myosin filament has a head and a tail.The myosin head contain ATPase enzyme.

For a muscular contraction to be carried out,the nervous system transmits nerve impulse to the neuromuscular junction.This causes the presynaptic membrane to release acetycholine to the synaptic cleft.This neurotransmitters enter the postsynaptic membrane and causes depolarisation of post synaptic membrane.Action potential is generated and nerve impulse is transmited to the sarcolemma and to the sarcoplasmic reticulum.This cause sarcoplasmic reticulum to release calcium ions to the sarcoplasm.The calcium ion binds to the troponin and causes the binding site of the actin filament to be exposed.calcium ion also binds to the myosin head and causes the ATP on the head to undergo hydrolysis to form ADP and P which are still attached to the myosin head.The myosin head is energised and it bind to the binding site of the actin filament to form actomyosin cross-bridge.The myosin head pulls the actin filament slide over the thick filament .Another ATP attaches to the myosin head and causes comformational change of the myosin head.The head detaches from the actin filament and is hydrolysed again.The attaching and detaching processes cause muscle to contract.After muscle contraction, the calcium ions detach from the myosin head and troponin.They are collected back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum.Acetylcholinesterase hydrolyses the acetylcholine.The neuromuscular junction returns to its resting state.the muscle is relaxed.

Phloem

There are 4 types of phloem tissues as well!!

~Sieve tube element

~Companion cells

~Phloem fibres

~Phloem parenchyma'

The sieve tubes and the companion cells are directly involved in the translocation of the organic substances. sieve tubes ,phloem parenchymam and companion cells are living tissues.Phloem fibre is dead tissue.

Sieve tube element:they are joined end to end to form a long tube.Their end walls are perforated with sieve pores to allow cytoplasmic connection between sieve elements and for flow of liquid.They are living cells with thin cellulose cell wall (not lignified) and protoplasm.It has few mitochondria to allow smooth flow of food.However,it has no nucleus ,ribosomes and golgi apparatus that have degenerate.Its metabolic need is supplied by the companion cells.

Companion cell: they can only be found in angiosperms.They are closely related to the sieve elements.Theyb have a nucleus , small vacuoles, cytoplasm, ribosomes and many mitochondrias.

They move sugars and amino acids through plasmodesmata to the sieve elements.

Phloem fibre : They are meant only for providing mechanical support.They are the only dead phloem tissues.

Phloem Parenchyma : They are packaging tissues.They are meant only for storage of organic foods.

Xylem

There are 4 types of xylem tissues:

~tracheid

~Xylem vessel

~xylem fibre

~xylem parenchyma



The main function of xylem tissues is for the transport of water and mineral and for support.



TRANSPORT & SUPPORT:

Tracheid: The tracheids are elongated, dead cells, with tapering ends.It is strengthened with the lignified secondary cell wall. The tapering ends overlap and interlock with each other ,increasing its strength.They have pits to connect to lumens of other cells.This allows water to move from one tracheid to another and to the surrounding cells.tracheids are the main water conducting ducts in ferns and conifer.Tracheids:

Xylem vessel :They are only found in angiosperms.They are cylindrical dead cells in which most water travels.Thus,it has no cytoplasmic content and no protoplasm.They have a bigger diameter than tracheids.The end walls of then vessels are perforated with large pores or completely disintegrated to allow continuous flow of water.The deposition of lignin in the secondary wall is not always uniform. As a result, the xylem vessels exhibit different types of secondary thickenings. On this basis, xylem vessels can be distinguished into five types.
~Annular
~spiral
~scalariform
~reticulate
~pitted

SUPPORT ONLY:
Xylem fibres : they are dead cells with lignified cell walls.they support the plant tissues.

PACKING TISSUES :
Xylem parenchyma : They are the only living xylem tissue. they are used to store food.

The Leaf Structure

Leaf adaptation to photosynthesis:

Photosynthesis is a process whereby green plants uses light energy to convert CO2 and H2O into

various organic compounds such as glucose,fructose and protein.

The leaf functions as the photosynthetic organ.This is because photosynthesis usually occurs in mesophyll cells of leaf.Mesophyll cells can be categorised into spongy mesophyll and palisade mesophyll cells.Just beneath the upper epidermis is the layer of closely packed elongated palisade mesophyll cells.The epidermis layer is a protective layer that is transparent to allow sunlight to penetrate through it.It also secretes a waxy material called cuticle to the leaf surface to prevent excessive loss of water.Water is one of the raw materials of photosynthesis.It is supplied to the leaf by the xylem vessels which transport water as well as mineral salt from the root to other parts of the plant like the leaf.The palisade mesophyll cells have a lots of chloroplasts which are double-membrane organelle which contains green pigment,chlorophyll.Chlorophyll molecules trap and absorb sunlight for phtochemical reactions.There are also accessory pigments like carotenoids in the chloroplast to absorb light of different wavelengths. Ironically,irregularly-shaped spongy mesophyll cells are loosely packed with air spaces.This allows gaseous exchange to be carried out efficiently in the mesophyll. This is important so that by-product of photosynthesis, O2 can passed out through the stomata.Stoma is a pore surrounded by two guard cells to enable transpiration and gaseous exchange.Guard cells regulate the opening of and closure of stomata. CO2 enters the leaf through stomata.The large surface area of the leaf allows maximum exposure to the sunlight and for gas exchange.The synthesised food is transported to other parts of the plant for utilised or storage by phloem sieve tubes.this process is known as translocation.

a good website

http://photoscience.la.asu.edu/photosyn/education/learn.html
http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-iii/plant-histology/phloem.php

Platyhelminthes

Phylum :platyhelminthes.

Class : Cestoda

example here : tape worm.endoparasite in vertebrate's intestine

Characteristics : bilaterally symmetrical,has a distinct head with scolex to attach to intestinal wall.body usually very longflat and segmented.triploblastic :endo,ecto and mesoderm.

Reproduction :sexual :monoecious/hemaphrodite through proglottids (body segment).sperms fertilise eggs in the proglottids>separated from the worm>pass out in faeces>proglottids degenerate>eggs released(more than a ten thousands)

Pathway towards infecction:the released eggs eaten by animals>enzymes in animal stomach and intestine dissolve egg shell>oncosphere released>enter intestine>hepatic portal vein>liver>Right heart>lungs>left heart>general circulation>muscle where it encyst.>human eat animal meat>enzymes dissolve cyst>adult worms..

Uniqueness :it has more developed nervous system,it has sensory organs(eyespot to detect light)it has head..

so,it is important to cook fish to kill those worms!!

Hydra

Phylum :coelenterata /cnidaria

Class :hydrazoa

Characteristics of cnidarians : radial symmetry and tentacles with stinging cells.

example here :hydra

habitat : clear water,ponds.

Cells : form tissues .cnidocytes : used for defense and capturing prey,with nematocyst in it which has barbs and releases poison to the prey.interstitial cell :gives rise to new cells.

feeding : once prey is captured,is ingested by tentacles into its mouth for digestion in enteron (extracellular digestion) ,undigested food exit through mouth.nerve cells are present too.

reproduction : asexual and sexual. asexual :budding when condition favourable+regenaration .sexual : monoecious with sperm swim towards the ovary for fertilisation.

difference from sponges :One such feature is the presence of a gastrula stage during embryonic development, it has tissues .

porifera

Phylum : Porifera


common name :sponges


habitat:found in marine and fresh water,found sessile( attached to rock or shells)



Cells: are not organised into tissues, but are specialised.


example: porocyte-for entry of water.Choanocyte :food is digested here or passed on to amoebocytes for digestion.food are microscopic organisms .Amoebocyte :mobile and move around the cell body.differentiate to form spicules and carry nutrients to other cells,carry oxygen and waste products.
(http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/courses.hp/zool250/animations/Porifera.swf)

water entry :water enter through pore cell and excreted though osculum.

Reproduction :asexual and sexual.sexual :mostly monoecious where sperm fuses with egg to form zygote.asexual : though gemmule , budding, regeneration.

uniqueness :it is separated in another subkingdom called parazoa because of its distictive characteristic from other animals..

Quiz for mens

Imagine you have ten pieces of papers in your hands right now...How would you throw them away?


a.just throw away them in their normal state.

b.fold them into half before dumping them.

c.twist them before throwing them away.

d.squeeze them into a ball.(not exactly round like ball )

e.tear them into pieces and then throw them away.



Interpretion:
a.You respect women as you support gender equality.So,you respect others rights and freedom.A relationship which does not take away your freedom suit you better.However,you couldn't express yourself very well.Physical excitement is very important to you in a relationship.

b.You are very caring as you care for your girlfriend's feeling.You believe her that you put her importance at first place.You treat her better than you treat yourself...That is why you are easily to be taken advantage of .You better hope that you do not meet any girl who likes to cheat.

c.You find it difficult to communicate with women.This is because you don't know how to express your feeling to them.You always date girl who is older than you.However, when time passes, you would discover that she does not fit you actually.

d.You are a self-centered person and you want your girlfriend to obey all your demands. In other words, you don't care about what your girlfriend is thinking, even on the bed,you don't care about your partner's feeling.Although you seem to be attractive to girls, you would scare girls away unless she enjoy this torture .

e.You are a violent person.It might due to you have been cheated before.So, now,you like to hit and beat your girl for your own pleasure.You even treat your girlfriend the same way on bed.You are a very dangerous person.

What type of boy attract you?

One day when you are going out ,it rains suddenly,you dont have an umbrella and you decide to buy one,umbrella of which colour would you choose to buy?


a.black
b.blue
c.purple
d.green
e.red




Interpretion:
a.you prefer boys whom you can rely on and one you hope to be with together forever.He is like your daddy,loves you and be kind to you.

b.you like boys with intelligence.You hope that he knows more than you do and knows something you don't know yet.

c.you are attracted to boys who is financially stable and can provide you a luxurious life.

d.you like boys who is active.You enjoy the excitement with him.

e.you like boys which are very friendly to you.You hope to have a close
relationship with him.


I hope yours like this simple quiz.I translated it from other website.

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