Passionate food science lecturer providing creative lessons and engaging classroom instruction to promote the goals of learning, critical-thinking, problem solving, collaboration skills and applications to everyday life for all students.

I have a diverse range of experience with sharing of my knowledge and teaching at different levels including undergraduate and postgraduate students. I have had the opportunity to teach several undergraduate and post-graduate courses since joining the Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2017.

Education:

PhD. Food Biotechnology

MSc. Biotechnology

BSc. Food Science and Technology

Expertise:

Food Microbiology, Food Biotechnology, Functional Foods, Gut Microbiota

Additional Expertise:

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Feb 2017 – May 2019, Universiti Putra Malaysia

Professional Certification, Halal Executive Course, 2019, Universiti Putra Malaysia

Teaching is my preferred career path. At the Faculty of Food Science and Technology, my teaching activities includes mentoring, supervising, and teaching the next generation of thought and practice leaders to be a wonderful privilege. Giving back to the profession I love and believe in is one of the primary motivators behind my teaching. My teaching strategy is to engorge the students to learn and make them realize that they are responsible for their education that will guide them to success in their life and future career. My main concern is to make my students understand the differences between urgent and important tasks during their few years at the university. Moreover, my students will learn how to use the time wisely to have leisure time that does not have effects on their main goal for excellent education. Off course, students are the center of the classroom, but they need to understand the purpose of each course they study so they can make striking progress and achieve academic success.

The future challenges in food security and safety have urgent need for future researchers with critically thinking and ability to analyse situations to solve problems including social and economic issues. Therefore, I always give examples of current and future challenges for providing healthy foods to the increasing number of human populations. The students still have to know the basic terms used in the discipline that will be very necessary for the success of the learning process. During the lecture I allow my students to ask questions related to the discussed subject because I believe there is no point to proceed to the next line if the students did not fully understand the previous point. I also give some time to discuss the topic with the students and listen to their own opinions and defend it in an intelligent and articulate manner. I believe that my responsibility and duties is to teach the student and the students’ responsibility is to learn, and my job as a lecturer is to make their learning easier. I do not do that by spoon feeding my student but by making them interest to learn my subject by using innovative methods, respond to questions, and encourage my students to seek knowledge.

I love teaching because is the best way to learn and improve my knowledge especially if I assigned to teach new subjects. I enjoy teaching topics of food science including dairy technology, food chemistry and food microbiology. My future task to teach food microbiology and food safety classes involves teaching students from different backgrounds and they are unfamiliar with course, therefore I often depart from conventional teaching methods to ensure the entire class develops the requisite skills and grab the information presented. I taught great number of students for laboratory exercises in food microbiology and actually I prefer to carry out the teaching and the lab exercises of the same subject to make the students comfortable and able to transfer the knowledge they acquired in the class to the lab.

The courses that I teach are presented in-depth to address the current and future issues, I follow the syllabus of the faculty, but I also highlight modern challenges that are not covered. My 3 hours lecture is usually divided as the first hour I present the topic information, second hour I carry out workshop with examples and the last hour I ask the students to present the information they received. The topics have broad range that covers microorganisms and their use in food production, control point in food industry. Emphasis is placed on applied technology rather than microbial theory. Thanks to my great teachers, I learned how to summarize the significance of the course and discuss the points with the students to make them interested in the subject. By the end of the course that I teach, my students will realize that food science is great major of study that has great impact on the socioeconomic of the society.

Part of the learning process that helps to build the confident between the lecturer and the students is the interaction outside the classroom. I have no set office hours, rather I encourage students to visit my office when they have an opportunity and discuss issues relevant to the course and their undergraduate or graduate career. I also encourage my students to contact me by Email or whats app if I am on travelling and by phone if I am at the campus. I want my students to feel I am approachable, and I care for their concerns regarding my teaching courses.

1. FST3114 (Chemistry and Analysis of Food Macro-components), (2+2 credits), graduate-level, Lecture and laboratory instructor, Semester 1 2019/2020

Number of students: 34

Course description: The course components include water, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. The course is designed for the students to be exposed to basic food chemistry and the analysis carried out in standard food laboratories. The course helps the students to understand food compositions and their influence on the quality and property of food products. At the completion of this course, the students will be able to explain properties and reactions of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins during storage and processing of food and how these influences the quality and properties of the food. Explain the importance of water for stability and quality of foods.

Teaching tasks: Teaching the theories in the classroom and online. Instruct the students during the lab work for 6 hours per week. Establish the students’ knowledge and understanding the process for selecting specific method to analyze specific component/characteristic in specific food.

2. FST4836 (Dairy Technology), (2+1 credits), graduate-level, Lecture and laboratory instructor, Semester 1 2019/2020, Semester 1 2020/2021

Number of students: 30 (Semester 1 2019/2020), 32 (Semester 1 2020/2021)

Course description: Dairy technology consisted of 13 lectures that covers milk composition, milk properties, drying technology, separation technology, milk powder, butter, ice cream, yogurt and cheese. The course offers a multidisciplinary framework for providing a successful learning environment. The course is designed to give the students the opportunities to move beyond teaching theoretical concepts and extended to the application to make dairy products. At Faculty of Food Science and Technology, UPM, the pilot plant at food 7 building is very well equipped with a many new tool to strengthen our process planned in the laboratory manual.

Teaching tasks: As instructor, I guide the students to translate the classroom theory to realistic situations that can take a place in real industry environment. Ensure that the students have the opportunity for field trip and eb exposed to industry process environments. Developed a design problem to be the simulation for the student’s lab work that formed a link between my research and the course learning outcomes. The design resulted in an oral presentation and group report.

3. FST4605 (Quality Assurance of Plant Product), (3+0 credits), graduate-level, Lecture, Semester 2 2019/2020

Number of students: 1

Course description: Quality assurance of plant product establish the procedures and quality standard to monitor the fresh produce from the farm to the hand of the consumers. The course covers the processes involved in the labeling, handling and traceability required by different exporting and importing countries.

Teaching tasks: Teaching the Malaysian standard for fresh produce including palm oil, cocoa, vegetables and fruits in comparison with other countries standards and regulations. Instructed the student to work with the Malaysian Department of Agriculture (DOA) to understand the process of Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA). Writing technical report on the current challenges and potential solutions towards better traceability and recall system.

4. FST5603, (Food Diagnostic), (2+1 credits), postgraduate-level, Lecture and laboratory instructor, Semester 2 2019/2020, Semester 2 2020/2021

Number of students: 28 (Semester 2 2019/2020), 20 (Semester 2 2020/2021)

Course description: This course covers the principles and applications of modern diagnostic techniques for evaluating the microbiological safety, biomolecules and chemical of food hazards and monitoring and verification of these hazards using suitable protocol. Application of advanced technology in handling data, sampling and food diagnostics also will be discussed. The course developed with the focus on ensuring food safety in compliance with the Malaysian and international regulatory. The course introduces modern molecular and immunological methods applied to determine food fraud and genetically modified products.

Teaching tasks: Established and build actual knowledge and introduced new molecular techniques applied in the detection of pathogens in different food samples. Help to show the students the importance of the modern techniques for the detection of GMO foods and authentication of Halal foods. Encourage the students to share their opinions and ideas with the classmates during the lectures and the lab work.

5. FST5209 (Advanced Food Microbiology), (3+0 credits), postgraduate-level, Lecture, Semester 2 2020/2021

Number of students: 22

Course description: This course covers the presence and growth of microorganisms in food as well as its relationship to food commodities and safety during handling, processing and storage. Microbial ecology of food, pathogenic microorganisms, food borne infection, food intoxication, beneficial microorganisms in food systems and methods of microorganisms’ detection are also emphasized. Current trends and emerging issues in food safety such as antimicrobial resistance, and allergen control are also discussed.

Innovative research projects are fundamental tools to enhance the food safety and security with ability of creating solutions for the future challenges. In my research plans, the training emphasizes on multidisciplinary nature of research and it is based on problems and challenges received from food industry. The benefits are to expose our junior researchers to the real world needs for research in food science and at the same time we can increase our industrial collaboration. I have supervised two Master students, and co-supervised four PhD students and two Master students in my four years at Universiti Putra Malaysia.

List of students under my supervision

1. Wan Nur Afiifah BT Wan Mohamad Nasir (199888), Physiochemical and organoleptic properties of non-dairy yogurt. Final year project. Completed.

2. Fatimah Zahra Binti Affendy (196079). Effect of traditional and probiotic fermentations on the quality and safety of fermented bamboo shoots. Final year project.

3. Nur Zahira Farahin BT Jalaludin (198639). Microbial and metabolomic profiling of fermented tapai ubi. Final year project. Completed.

4. Norazalia binti Nordin (GS55951). Assessment on knowledge and practice among street food vendors and prevalence of microbial contamination in Klang valley. Master by course work. Completed.

5. Syahman Bin Samsudin (GS56307). Effect of controlled and traditional fermentation methods on the safety and quality of tapai pulut. Master by course work. Completed.

6. Milad Mohamed Ali Eltayeb (GS57875). Effects of oral health knowledge, lifestyle, body mass index and probiotic intake on dental caries among university students in Libya. PhD. Transfer to another university.

7. Izuddin Abdul Rahman (GS60146). Anti-elastase activity of hydrolysates produced via the hydrolysis of moringa seed meal. PhD. Ongoing.

List of students under my co-supervision

1. PhD, Immunomodulatory effects of Malaysian fermented foods improved by the inclusion of probiotic starter cultures in BALB/CBYJ mice, December 2019 - November 2022.

2. PhD, Effects of herbal feed additives on goat’s milk production and quality, January 2019 - December 2021.

3. PhD, Assessment of lacto-fermented peptides derived from kenaf seed proteins as a source of natural antimicrobial agents against a broad range of food spoilage microbes, February 2018- January 202.

4. PhD, Enhancement of shelf life and postharvest quality of mango (Mangifera indica L.) with natural disinfectant produced by lacto-fermented agriculture by-products, February 2018 - January 2021.

5. PhD, Development and characterization of a coconut milk-based kefir drink using kefir grains, January 2017 - July 2020.

6. MSc by research, Torch ginger (Etlingera eliator Jack) inflorescence essential oil as active packaging, July 2018 - June 2020.

7. MSc by research, Development and characterization of powdered kombucha sourdough starter, September 2017 - March 2020.

8. MSc by research, The effect of wall materials on physical composition and antioxidant and properties metabolite profiling of spray dried powdered kombucha tea, July 2017 - September 2019.

9. BSc, Enhancement of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) in Yogurt, May 2018 - December 2018.

10. BSc, Consumer acceptability for instant Ashura porridge produced using drum dryer, May 2018 - December 2018.

11. BSc, The effect of fermentation on antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity and physicochemical properties of bitter bean, May 2018 - December 2018.

12. BSc, The enhancement of gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) in tosai, May 2018 - December 2018.

13. BSc, Antimicrobial activity of Cordyceps militaris extracts against antimicrobial resistance Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, February 2017 - July 2017.

14. BSc, Physicochemical properties, microbial quality and sensory evaluation of sambal hitam belimbing buluh paste, February 2017 - July 2017.

The recent Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated the willingness of our students at Universiti Putra Malaysia to engage with via virtual classrooms. I have started the utilization of the technology in teaching before the recent shifting from conventional classrooms to virtual classrooms. This has given me the opportunity to benefit from some forms of technology in the virtual classroom and to make teaching and learning more effective for all my taught courses. The technology has improved my student’s engagement, individual learning, collaboration, and learning useful life skills. The technologies I implemented includes the following:

1. Putrablast: Used in virtual classrooms, share the lecture notes and external readings. Carry out quizzes and final exams.

2. Zoom: This App was heavily used in virtual lectures and for students’ group presentations.

3. Biorender: I used this online App to develop a very comprehensive and effective slides with life drawing that can simulate real food industry.

Current Research Interest:

My research interests include the development of bioactive peptides from sustainable low-cost plant-based sources for the applications as natural preservatives. Currently, as the Research Leader of International Collaboration Fund (ICF) between the University of Alberta and Universiti Putra Malaysia, my research is focused on producing functional food and beverages that enhance the functions of the immune system. My research has focused on bioactive compounds from fermentation process. The work involved long hours of laboratory work to isolate the peptides, a lot of knowledge about LC/MS-MS and proteomics to analyse the obtained data. I developed my skills of using advanced software for analysing the data and identifying proteins and peptides.

Research Accomplishments

1. Application of lactic acid bacteria in food preservation

Lactic acid bacteria isolated from Malaysian environment and screened for their antifungal activity against spoilage fungi the cause damage to foods and health risk because of the toxins they produce. The selected isolates inhibited the growth of spoilage fungi in broad range of foods. The bioactive compounds identified were antifungal peptides with strong activity towards several spoilage fungi. The significant of the project was to develop natural food preservatives from lactic acid bacteria fermentation to fulfill the two important current gaps in food industry which is the need for natural preservatives. My research expanded the potential to apply lactic acid bacteria antifungal peptides in selected foods to extend their shelf life. My research papers were published in highly cited journals including Food Control, LWT-Food Science and Technology, and Journal of Food Science.

2. Probiotic fermented foods with potential to improve the immune system function

My research focus on developing plant-based fermented foods that has probiotics as co-culture to enhance the health benefits. I developed a probiotic fermented glutenous rice (Tapai Pulut) with enhanced health benefits compared to the traditionally fermented glutenous rice. I received fund from Ministry of Science, Technology, & Information (MOSTI) and appointed as Research Leader of International Collaboration Fund (ICF) between the University of Alberta and Universiti Putra Malaysia. The objective of the research project is to develop plant-based functional foods that enhance the immune system function.

3. Lacto-fermented camel milk for health promoting

Fermented camel milk is consumed by the traditional tribes in the Sahara of Iraq as source of energy and is believed by the locals to have many health benefits. The main issue for the production of fermented camel milk by natural fermentation is the safety issues and the variation of the product from batch to batch. In this project, I solved that issue by testing and developing the suitable strain that result in highly acceptable taste and strong antimicrobial activity. The fermented product was confirmed to inhibit the growth of several pathogenic bacteria in comparison to the fresh milk. The active compounds were identified as bioactive peptides that have the potential for several biological activities and can promote the health of the consumers. My research group observed the healthy status of the dessert people in the Sahara, and we started to study their diet. Our group found the fermented camel milk to be the significant food that promoted the health of the tribe people. We optimized the fermentation conditions to produce stable product with higher antibacterial activity that will help the consumers to improve the general at low cost. The fermentation technology was transferred to many local companies that produce dairy products to include the fermented camel milk as regular daily produced and consumed product for easy access by the consumers. The finding and the recommendation of the project led to increase the public concern regarding the health benefits of fermented camel milks. Three papers were published as a result of this project.

4. Traditional foodstuff role during disasters

Recently, I am studying the traditional foodstuffs and their important role in household food security. I started the research to strengthen the food security and bring the attention of policy makers towards the traditional foods as a strategy to ensure the food supplies for communities during natural and man-made disasters. No research has, however, attempted to examine traditional foodstuffs in light of disasters and crises. Such research can provide a useful outlook on how traditional foodstuffs can aid households in a situation of disrupted food supply. I published the first article at Appetite on ScienceDirect.

Achievements

1. Developed method for the production of bioactive peptides and applied as natural preservatives in processed foods.

2. Determined the antifungal peptides mode of action against food spoilage fungi and reduce the economic losse.

3. Developed number of fermentation methods to produce several fermented food products with health benefits to the consumers.

4. I have published 40 papers in the last five years in ranked and recognized journals, and this was my contribution to the field of food science.

5. Managed budgets for 3 projects with the sum of RM 930,000 and worked with multiple teams and stakeholders to achieve objectives on-time and within budget.

6. My research has awarded gold medal in ITEX 2012, and silver medal in PECIPTA 2011, Awarded by the Ministry of Higher Education, as the best food science project for 2012 in Malaysia.

7. Awarded fund for Newton Fund Southeast Asia Research Workshop 2018, Climate Changes and Urban Food Security.

Selected publications

1. Muhialdin, B. J., Zawawi, N., Razis, A. F. A., Bakar, J., & Zarei, M. (2021). Antiviral activity of fermented foods and their probiotics bacteria towards respiratory and alimentary tracts viruses. Food Control, 108140.

2. Algboory, H. L., & Muhialdin, B. J. (2021). Novel peptides contribute to the antimicrobial activity of camel milk fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum IS10. Food Control, 108057.

3. Muhialdin, B. J., Marzlan, A. A., Kadum, H., Arulrajah, B., Mohamad Asri, N., Fathallah, S., & Meor Hussin, A. S. (2021). Metabolomics profiling and antimicrobial activity of fermented date fruit (Khastawi) used as functional ingredients for making Asian confectionary (Dodol). Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment, 35(1), 478-486.

4. Muhialdin, B. J., Hussin, A. S. M., Kadum, H., Hamid, A. A., & Jaafar, A. H. (2021). Metabolomic changes and biological activities during the lacto-fermentation of jackfruit juice using Lactobacillus casei ATCC334. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 110940.

5. Muhialdin, B. J., Kadum, H., & Hussin, A. S. M. (2021). Metabolomics profiling of fermented cantaloupe juice and the potential application to extend the shelf life of fresh cantaloupe juice for six months at 8° C. Food Control, 107555.

6. Tan, W. C., Muhialdin, B. J., & Meor Hussin, A. S. (2020). Influence of Storage Conditions on the Quality, Metabolites, and Biological Activity of Soursop (Annona muricata. L.) Kombucha. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11, 2982.

7. Asri, N. M., Muhialdin, B. J., Zarei, M., & Saari, N. (2020). Low molecular weight peptides generated from palm kernel cake via solid state lacto-fermentation extend the shelf life of bread. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 110206.

8. Muhialdin, B. J., Kadum, H., Fathallah, S., & Hussin, A. S. M. (2020). Metabolomics profiling and antibacterial activity of fermented ginger paste extends the shelf life of chicken meat. LWT- Food Science and Technology, 109897.

9. Muhialdin, B. J., Abdul Rani, N. F., & Meor Hussin, A. S. (2020). Identification of antioxidant and antibacterial activities for the bioactive peptides generated from Bitter Beans (Parkia speciosa) via boiling and fermentation processes. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 131, 109776.

10. Mohd Roby, B. H., Muhialdin, B. J., Abadl, M. M. T., Mat Nor, N. A., Marzlan, A. A., Lim, S. A. H., ... & Meor Hussin, A. S. (2020). Physical properties, storage stability, and consumer acceptability for sourdough bread produced using encapsulated kombucha sourdough starter culture. Journal of Food Science, 85(8), 2286-2295.

11. Muhialdin, B. J., Kadum, H., Zarei, M., & Hussin, A. S. M. (2020). Effects of metabolite changes during lacto-fermentation on the biological activity and consumer acceptability for dragon fruit juice. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 121, 108992.

12. Muhialdin, B. J., Algboory, H. L., Kadum, H., Mohammed, N. K., Saari, N., Hassan, Z., & Hussin, A. S. M. (2020). Antifungal activity determination for the peptides generated by Lactobacillus plantarum TE10 against Aspergillus flavus in maize seeds. Food Control, 109, 106898.

13. Muhialdin, B.J., Hassan, Z. and Saari, N., 2018. In vitro antifungal activity of lactic acid bacteria low molecular peptides against spoilage fungi of bakery products. Annals of Microbiology, pp.1-11.

14. Muhialdin, B.J. and Algboory, H.L., 2018. Identification of low molecular weight antimicrobial peptides from Iraqi camel milk fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum. PharmaNutrition, 6(2), pp.69-73.

15. Muhialdin, B.J., Hassan, Z., Bakar, F.A. and Saari, N., 2016. Identification of antifungal peptides produced by Lactobacillus plantarum IS10 grown in the MRS broth. Food Control, 59, pp.27-30.