Wee Sim Choo
Associate Professor Wee Sim Choo completed a Bachelor of Science in Food Studies (2000), majoring in Food Quality Management with a First Class Honours, and a Master of Science (2004) in the field of Food Chemistry and Biochemistry from the Universiti Putra Malaysia. She then joined the Malaysian Palm Oil Board as a research officer before moving to the University of Otago, New Zealand, to complete a Ph.D. in Food Science in 2008. She joined the Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, soon after, and then the School of Science, Monash University Malaysia in 2009. In 2013, she obtained a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education from Monash University.
Associate Professor Wee Sim Choo has been awarded three PVC’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching (2010-2011) and one PVC Commendation for Excellence in Education - Innovations in Teaching (2020). She also received the PVC Commendation for Excellence in Research – Postgraduate Supervision in 2024, Most Popular Supervisor in Monash University Malaysia and Supervisor of the Year of the School of Science awards in 2022 from the Monash University Postgraduate Association (MUPA). She was an Outstanding Nominee for the Best Supervisor of the Year Award in 2018.
Her current research interests focus on functional foods, which are foods that potentially offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Her work focuses on the extraction and application of bioactive compounds from food sources, phytochemicals, probiotics, and prebiotics. She is investigating and pioneering works on various bioactivities of natural-coloured pigments such as betalains and anthocyanins. She currently serves as an Associate Editor for Sustainable Food Processing (specialty section of Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems), an editorial board member of International Journal of Food Science and Technology, and an editorial advisory board member of ACS Food Science and Technology. She is a 2025-2030 Food Ingredients Expert Committee Member at the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and Stanford University's list of the World's Top 2% Scientists 2024 and 2025.
Associate Professor Wee Sim Choo has been awarded three PVC’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching (2010-2011) and one PVC Commendation for Excellence in Education - Innovations in Teaching (2020). She also received the PVC Commendation for Excellence in Research – Postgraduate Supervision in 2024, Most Popular Supervisor in Monash University Malaysia and Supervisor of the Year of the School of Science awards in 2022 from the Monash University Postgraduate Association (MUPA). She was an Outstanding Nominee for the Best Supervisor of the Year Award in 2018.
Her current research interests focus on functional foods, which are foods that potentially offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Her work focuses on the extraction and application of bioactive compounds from food sources, phytochemicals, probiotics, and prebiotics. She is investigating and pioneering works on various bioactivities of natural-coloured pigments such as betalains and anthocyanins. She currently serves as an Associate Editor for Sustainable Food Processing (specialty section of Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems), an editorial board member of International Journal of Food Science and Technology, and an editorial advisory board member of ACS Food Science and Technology. She is a 2025-2030 Food Ingredients Expert Committee Member at the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and Stanford University's list of the World's Top 2% Scientists 2024 and 2025.
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antibacterial components of P. speciosa seeds, cyclic polysulfides were characterized using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis and evaluated using a broth microdilution method against seven gram-positive and five gram-negative bacterial strains. Microwaving displayed the highest decrease in TPC, followed by boiling, while steaming retained
most TPC. Thermal treatment did not affect DPPH free radical scavenging activity but significantly reduced the FRAP of the seeds. Uncooked seeds exhibited significant antibacterial activity against the 12 bacterial strains with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 5–40 mg/mL. Thermal treatment of the seeds displayed reduced antibacterial activity,
a decreased amount of 1,2,4,5-tetrathiane whereas 1,3,5-trithiane and 1,2,5,6-tetrathiocane were detected.
Recent Findings: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, an etiological agent that accounted for the current chaotic COVID-19 episode, has brought many lives away. Notably, the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) has contributed significantly to the viral replication of all RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, making it a promising target for drug treatment. The lack of efficacious drugs combined with the prolonged duration of the drug discovery process has prompted many to opt for drug repositioning (DR) as an alternative route to combat current or emerging diseases. The human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), a telomerase catalytic subunit in cancers, has been identified with functional and structural similarities to the viral RdRp, making it a potential target to explore drug repositioning of current anticancer drugs for antiviral usage.
Summary: Taken together, the investigation of hTERT and other anticancer drugs is essential to explore other uses of existing drugs for COVID-19, especially in such an urgent time of need. This review highlights the prospects of repositioning anticancer drugs against COVID-19 and its limitations.
Objective: This study investigated the effect of supplementation of two different prebiotics, fructooligosaccharide (FOS) and inulin, on the viability of Bifidobacterium longum ATCC BAA-999 in coconut water.
Methods: Two concentrations of prebiotics used were 1% and 2%. The physicochemical characteristics of fermented coconut water with B. longum for 9 h at 37°C and during refrigerated storage at 4°C for 2 weeks were analyzed. The viability of B. longum in fermented coconut water was maintained above the recommended therapeutic level (7 log CFU/mL) with or without supplementation with prebiotics.
Results: Most distinct changes in colour (ΔE > 3) occurred in fermented coconut water compared to unfermented coconut water. An increase in the total soluble solids was also observed in fermented coconut water with the increase in the concentration of prebiotics. There were no significant changes in the clarity, pH, and concentrations of shikimic and malic acids in the fermented coconut water with or without supplementation with prebiotics over the 2 weeks of storage. Acetic acid production was observed in the fermented coconut water, with the highest acetic acid production in the fermented coconut water supplemented with 1% FOS after 2 weeks of storage.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated the potential use of coconut water as a medium to produce a probiotic drink.
Hands-on laboratory classes were selected by the majority of students as the most effective way they learned, and also their most preferred learning approach. Majority of the students also found that the use of an educational technology, a polling tool contributed to their active learning in class. Finally, the intended learning outcome of an activity should be carefully considered when applying a learning approach to facilitate learning.
beads were assessed. A synergism between the viability of L. casei and the oxidative stability of oil with/without tocotrienol was found in co-encapsulates during storage in orange juice. Juices with beads were not significantly varied for pH, acidity, total soluble solid, turbidity and browning index than control during 30 days of storage. Juices with beads have lower sensory acceptability scores than the control. About 54% of panellists preferred orange juices with functional ingredients. Co-encapsulated CA-CMC beads may have utility in functional orange juice formulations to deliver multiple bioactives in a single food system.
adjuvants. Their possible mechanism of action and prospects of their uses are also discussed.