Plant-based hues for dyes!



After living for umpteen years, I have never thought of identifying what is it that creates the vibrant colors that I see and adore every day. Generally, I thought that colours for dyes are only made from mixtures of three primary colors which are cyan, magenta and yellow.  But little did I know until my mother told me, that plants which include the tree, leaves, flowers and roots have hues that function as a source in making dyes including food colouring. The first thing that came to mind was the thought of mans cruelty to use such beauty as a colouring source.

Hey pretty!

But after sourcing for some information, it seemed that plants have been used to make dyes for decades. Here are some examples:

  

Let’s start with the famously known Henna tree which is also known as Pokok Inai in Malay. Henna is a very unique plant where all you have to do is just pound the leaves and you can obtain its intense natural reddish-orange hue. Because of that, Henna has been widely used as a dye for hair, skin and fingernails. You would have probably seen hair dyes in black and brown, but that isn’t the original color of the Henna plant. The natural and original Henna plant only produces reddish-orange hues. 

Scientific name: Lawsonia inermis (Henna)

Other than Henna, turmeric or kunyit in Malay, which is known as a cooking spice also acts as food dye, as the turmeric rhizome has a limitless natural yellow pigment ranging from bright yellow to deep orange, depending on the variety. It can just turn everything yellow! Some Malaysian dishes that use turmeric are chicken turmeric, yellow glutinous rice and gulai lemak.



Scientific name: Curcuma longo (Turmeric)

The third example is the Butterfly Pea plant, also known as Bunga Telang. This plant also contributes a purplish-blue hue for food dye. Try to guess which Malaysian food uses this plant as food dye. It’s Nasi Kerabu! I was actually so excited when I heard that Nasi Kerabu got its colour from a plant because I literally love to see the colour of the Nasi Kerabu and it is also one of my favourite dishes.

Scientific name: Clitoria flower (Butterfly Pea Plant)

It’s amazing how plants can be a source for dyes. In fact, there are many other plants which could also be used for food colouring. Some other examples are roselles, blueberries, pandan leaves and red dragon fruits. Taking natural plant-based food colouring is much healthier than consuming artificial colouring even though the bright colours may be appealing to your eyes. Plant-based hues also produce softer and more natural tones compared to artificial colouring. So, perhaps next time you can use plant-based hues to add colour to your homemade food; but keep in mind that not all plants can be used as food dye! Get recommendations from people or source for information on the internet to ensure that it is edible.

Shared by Ruby, Intern at Petrosains

Homemade Soapbar!

Many people love to play with soap bubbles. This is not only pin-pointed to children but literally, age doesn't seem to matter as everyone including adults love to play with bubbles too. Soap is defined as a cleaning agent for personal use and also for general cleaning. It is usually sold in cubics. Now, soap can be found in all sorts of varieties which differs in shape, colour and fragrance. Soap can also be in liquid or solid form. But have you ever thought of making soap?

Soapbar

Generally, soap contains a sodium compound or potassium and fatty acid. Soap can be produced through the reaction of sodium hydroxide and triglycerides at the temperature of 80 degrees Celcius to 100 degrees Celcius in a process known as saponification.

In Petrosains, one of the new activities developed is Homemade Soapbar. Making soap or saponification is one of the chapters in the Form 5 Chemistry syllabus. This activity is very popular and received a sounding good review from teachers and fellow colleagues in the team. The length of time taken for this workshop is a bit lengthy as soap needs to sit at least overnight to take its form.

Our science communicator is preparing the lye solution

The ingredients in the process of making soap are 20g of water, 9g of sodium hydroxide or lye, 10g of cocoa butter and 29g of lemon oil. Lye is a strong alkali which is highly soluble in water producing corrosive solutions. It is commonly the alternative name of sodium hydroxide (NaOH).

Preparing the lye solution

Double boiling technique

Firstly, prepare the lye solution in a well-ventilated area. Cool it off in cold water. Secondly, melt the cocoa butter using the double boil technique. Once all the butter has melted, cool it off by adding lemon oil. Third, measure the temperature for both the lye solution and the oils. When both temperatures are close within +5 degrees Celcius, add the lye solution to the oils. Fourth step is to whip the solution until the color turns milky. Then heat it up using the double boil technique. Continue to whip every 5 minutes for 20 minutes. Lastly, pour the solution into the mold and leave it overnight.

Saponification: fatty acid + (sodium hydroxide + water) = salt (soap) + glycerin

Students measuring the temperature for lye solution

Everytime we conduct the homemade soapbar activity with schools, participants were very happy with their soapbars and the teachers were impressed. They said that the workshop was exciting and challenging for their students.

This is not magic. It's Science! Now, anyone can make their own soapbar.

Shared by Zuridah Rais, Science Communicator at Petrosains.

Coral Reefs

HotScience │Petrosains

What’s the fuss over corals?

Corals are pretty to look at and are definitely pleasing to the eyes!  Besides being a necessary prop in the aquarium and enhancing its appearance, what has it got to do with us anyway? 

Corals – What are they?

Corals are invertebrate animals (without a backbone) that are related to sea anemones.  They share the same characteristics - a simple stomach with a single mouth opening surrounded by stinging tentacles.  Each individual coral animal is called a polyp.  Polyps group together to form a colony by replicating copies of its original self through a process called budding.  When coral polyps die, they leave behind a hard, stony, branching structure made of calcium carbonate.

Corals are generally classified as either "hard coral" or "soft coral". Soft corals live in colonies that resemble brightly coloured plants or trees and don't have hard calcareous skeleton, instead they grow wood-like cores for support and fleshy rinds for protection.  Hard corals are known as 'reef building' corals.

What are coral reefs?

Reefs are usually made up of many colonies and are much bigger. These structures are formed when each individual polyp secretes calcium carbonate. The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef, which spans 2,600 km off the east coast of Australia. It is so large that it can be seen from space. 

Massive corals tend to grow slowly, increasing in size from 0.5 - 2 cm per year. However, under favorable conditions (lots of light, consistent temperature, moderate wave action), some species can grow as much as 4.5 cm per year.

Threats

1. Water temperatures and ocean acidification linked to rising carbon dioxide levels.
• High water temperatures – condition called coral bleaching causes corals to lose the microscopic algae that produce the food corals need.
• Ocean acidification - more acidic seawater makes it difficult for corals to build their calcium carbonate skeletons.

2. Overfishing and overharvesting of corals disrupt reef ecosystems.

3. Invasive species -  greatly impact coral reef ecosystems through consumption of, and competition with, native coral reef animals.

4. Runoff from lawns, sewage, cities, and farms feeds algae that can overwhelm reefs. Deforestation hastens soil erosion, which clouds water—smothering corals.

How do corals contribute to the environment?

1. Coral reefs are sensitive indicators of water quality and the ecological integrity of the ecosystem.
• They tolerate relatively narrow ranges of temperature, salinity, water clarity, and other chemical and water quality characteristics.

2. They are important fishery and nursery areas, and more recently have proved to be very important economically as tourist attractions.
3. Reefs provide protection from erosion to coastlines and sand for beaches.

http://www.icriforum.org/about-coral-reefs/what-are-corals
http://ocean.si.edu/corals-and-coral-reefs

Get to know the corals

 Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hii Yii Siang in action

  Assoc. Prof. Liew Hock Chark in action

  Look,look...that is the corals!

Meet the corals

This article is written in conjunction with Petrosains Public Engagement Session on 15-17 December 2012 with scientists from Univeristi Malaysia Terengganu, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hii Yii Siang and Assoc. Prof. Liew Hock Chark.

Cahaya Pelita Kerosin

Pelita minyak tanah

Entah mengapa saban hari dan tahun menjelang Hari Raya, perasaan untuk melihat pelita minyak tanah yang selalunya dipasang untuk menerangi halaman rumah pada waktu malam sering terbuak-buak. Tatkala melihatnya, jelas terpancar wajah ceria menghargai kemeriahan suasana itu untuk menyambut Hari Raya. Hari Raya merupakan perayaan yang dirayakan oleh penganut beragama Islam di seluruh dunia tidak mengira bangsa sama ada Melayu, India dan sebagainya.

Pelita minyak tanah

Pelita Minyak tanah atau kerosin akan dinyalakan pada waktu malam dan dipasang mengelilingi rumah bagi menyemarakkan suasana meriah untuk menyambut Hari Raya. Walaupun pelita minyak tanah ini kian dilupakan oleh masyarakat setempat, tetapi masih ada lagi segelintir golongan yang masih menggemarinya. Pelita minyak tanah ini juga boleh dikatakan sebagai  simbol tradisi masyarakat setempat yang 'tak lapuk dek hujan, tak lekang dek panas'. Di Malaysia, ramai yang akan bercuti panjang sempena menyambut perayaan ini. Selalunya ramai yang akan pulang ke kampung halaman untuk menyambutnya bersama keluarga tercinta. Dalam perjalanan pulang ke kampung, selalunya kita lebih berpeluang untuk melihat pelita minyak berbanding di kawasan bandar. ada juga yang sudah memodifikasi pelita minyak tanah ini kepada pelita lampu yang menggunakan tenaga elektrik yang sering dijadikan dekorasi dalaman di pusat-pusat membeli belah.

Pelita minyak tanah boleh diperolehi di kedai-kedai ataupun di pasar raya dengan harga yang sangat berpatutan. Tetapi kebanyakan penduduk kampung membuatnya sendiri menggunakan bahan-bahan terpakai kitar semula untuk menghasilkan pelita minyak tanah. Ia boleh diperbuat daripada tin-tin susu, buluh dan juga tempurung kelapa. Ia digelar sebagai pelita minyak tanah kerana ia menggunakan minyak tanah atau kerosin sebagai sumber bahan api untuk dinyalakan apinya. Jika diperhatikan pada gambar, minyak tanah akan diisi di dalam bahagian berwarna biru. Terdapat sumbu yang diperbuat daripada tali guni dipasang di tengah-tengah sehingga menyentuh minyak tanah. Minyak tanah  akan naik meresap ke atas melalui sumbu tali guni oleh tindakan kapilari.

 

Minyak tanah ataupun kerosin dan juga dikenali sebagai parafin di sesetengah tempat adalah merupakan hidrokarbon dalam bentuk cecair yang tidak berwarna dan mudah terbakar. Kerosin digunakan sebagai bahan api untuk pesawat terbang, kapal-kapal kecil serta untuk tujuan pemanasan memasak dan pencahayaan.  

Pada masa dulu, permintaan penggunaan kerosin adalah lebih tinggi berbanding bahan api yang lain seperti petrol dan diesel. Kerosin digunakan secara meluas untuk tujuan pencahayaan. Kebanyakan kawasan pedalaman di Asia bergantung kepada lampu minyak tanah sebagai sumber pencahayaan kerana tiada bekalan elektrik. Minyak tanah juga digunakan oleh masyarakat setempat  untuk memasak dengan menggunakan dapur minyak tanah. Faktor minyak tanah digunakan dengan lebih meluas adalah kerana harganya lebih murah berbanding sekarang.

Tetapi, mengapakah kerosin masih digunakan sebagai bahan api untuk sumber cahaya pelita ini?

Hidrokarbon dalam petroleum diasingkan melalui proses penyulingan berperingkat. Semasa penyulingan berperingkat, petroleum dipanaskan dalam sebuah menara pemeringkat. Hidrokarbon dengan takat didih yang lebih rendah meruap terlebih dahulu , naik ke bahagian atas menara lalu dikondensasikan dan diasingkan. Hidrokarbon dengan takat didih yang lebih tinggi akan terkumpul di bahagian bawah menara dan dikondensasikan sebagai cecair.

Hasil daripada penyulingan berperingkat ini, kerosin merupakan hasil penyulingan yang berada di tengah- tengah menara berperingkat dan mempunyai takat didih di antara 150 darjah Celcius  ke 300 darjah Celcius di mana ia adalah lebih rendah berbanding diesel, minyak pelincir dan bitumen. Jadi secara struktur kimianya, kerosin mempunyai rantaian karbon yang lebih pendek. Warnanya  lebih cerah dan ia mempunyai kelikatan yang lebih rendah. Kerosin juga mudah terbakar. Nyalaan api kerosin adalah lebih bersih dan kurang berjelaga. Maka, itulah sebabnya mengapa kerosin digunakan sebagai bahan api untuk pelita.

Walaupun begitu, kita hendaklah sentiasa berwaspada dengan api- 'apabila kecil menjadi kawan, sudah besar menjadi lawan'. Sentiasa berhati-hati agar kemeriahan untuk menyambut perayaan boleh dinikmati bersama dalam keadaan yang gembira dan selamat.

Posted by Ayu
Learning Specialist, Petrosains

Are you more like your mom or your dad?

It's Parents' Day!

I sat down and thought about what is it that I could share as I've been thinking about my parents and me, and my husband as parents to our children. It took me a few days to get an idea. Then something came to my mind. I was wondering why my daughters have brown eyes while my son has black eyes. I continued my investigation by asking a few of my colleagues, "Are you like your mother or your father?". Here are their answers;

Maya: "I look exactly like both of my parents, I don't know how that's possible."
Iman: "I look exactly like my mom!"

Azhar: "I can't even count how many times I have heard, "Wow! you look just like your dad!" I've heard it from my family, friends and also strangers."

Iza: "I've been told that i look like my father."

Ruby: "Apparently I look like my mom but act like my dad."

Annuar: "People say my siblings and I look alike. My eldest brother is always told he resembles our dad. My little brother looks like my mom. The other 5 of us are a mix between our dad and mom. One common feature is we all have the black hair and brown eyes."

Well, it is interesting to listen from them. Sometimes, a person looks like the mother, sometimes a person also could look just like the father and sometimes a person looks like a combination of both parents. Still trying to figure out how come a person could look nothing like either of the parents but he or she is identical to his or her great grandmother? The answer is genetics!

Many would be surprised at how random genetics actually are. Everything from our hair color to our blood type is determined by genes. A combination of our parent's genes and all of their parent's genes combine to determine traits.

A dominant gene always overpowers a recessive one. For example, my husband has brown eyes which is the dominant eye color trait and i have black eyes which is recessive. That is probably why my daughters have brown eyes.

When the parents' DNA combines, we only get one set of genes for a particular physical trait from either the mother or father. We have a fifty-fifty chance of receiving one or the other so it is completely random. We may also receive mostly our father's genes and look exactly like him. Maybe someone might receive a mixture from both and look like a cross between both parents. That is why sometimes a person doesn't look identical to his or her brothers and sisters, unless he or she is a twin. It is even possible for someone to inherit most of his or her genes from the father's mother in which case he or she will look nothing like either parent. This happened with my little daughter who could be our great grandmother's twin if they were the same age. For me, I look identical to my father.

This also means that my daughter inherited her brown eyes from my husband. She also has curly hair as it is different to my straight hair. In this case she must have got my husband's mother's hair type.

It's amazing. So if you are wondering why you look like your mother while your sibling looks like your father, it's all because of genetics.

Here you are. It's me, my husband and our children! No matter who we look like, we must appreciate our family relationship. And always remember, who and what we are now, all comes from our parents.

Posted by Ayu
Learning Specialist, Petrosains

 

Bugs for Breakfast Anyone?

Malaysians are a passionate bunch when it comes to food. We take great pride in our cuisine and meals are always much-anticipated. From the cheap and plentiful to the celebratory and occasional treat, good food gets us going, excited, and happy beyond being just fuel for our body.

By Takeaway (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons 

When it comes to food, Malaysians delight in national staples like nasi lemak or satay, rich laksa, roti and curries, steaming char kue tiao, crunchy pisang goreng, and kuih aplenty. The list is long and seemingly endless and in our towns and cities, we are spoilt for choice with stalls, cafés and restaurants easily accessible and often open late into the night or even round the clock.

Our choice and preference for food is often influenced by geography, culture, and beliefs among other things. So it’s not surprising that what we like and enjoy may not be equally appreciated by tourists and visitors (just as not all Malaysians enjoy sashimi, spaghetti carbonara, or a tostada). Similarly, there are some food items that although common in other parts of the world (even as close as our neighbouring country Thailand), but may be viewed with disgust and revulsion if served here – such as a delicious plate of fried grasshoppers. 


By Thomas Schoch [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons 

The Practice of Eating Insects

We may be annoyed by ants, freaked out by cockroaches, and terrified of spiders but rarely if ever salivate over the idea of eating insects. The human consumption of insects as food is known as entomophagy and it is a fairly widespread practice in some cultures though in many others often uncommon or viewed with disgust. In a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations¹, some interesting insect-eating facts emerge:

• Around 2 billion people consume insects in some way
• Humans consume over 1,900 different insect species
• The most commonly consumed insects are beetles, followed by caterpillars.
•  Insects are a highly nutritious and a healthy food source

Even though the benefits of entomophagy is quite established, will you consider insects for a meal as seen in this dish (below) of fried insects in Cambodia?


By Steve Baragona [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons 

What are Insects?

If you’re still thinking about chowing down on some caterpillars, consider first what insects are. We often call all forms of creepy crawlies as insects though there is a specific definition to what an insect is. Examples of insects include beetles, flies, moths, and wasps – can you think of what they have in common?


By Bugboy52.40 (Derivative from images uploaded by Fir0002.) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons 

Here are some necessary features that all insects share:

• Insects are invertebrates – they have no backbone.
• Insects have an exoskeleton – a hard external covering which protects their body.
• Insect bodies are made up of three segments – the head, the thorax, and the abdomen.
• Insects have 3-pairs of jointed limbs.
• Most insects have compound eyes and a pair of antennae.

Insects belong to a larger group of animals called arthropods. Other than insects, which are often differentiated by their bodies which have three segments and six legs, examples of arthropods include arachnids like spiders and scorpions, as well as crustaceans like crabs and lobsters. Centipedes and millipedes are also arthropods.

CONSIDER THIS:

We already consume many kinds of arthropods such as crabs, shrimp, and lobsters. If you think of a spider as a 'land crab', or an insect as a variation of delicious 'seafood', does it make it more appetising? Also we consume many products made by insects, most famously honey which are made by bees.

Why Eating Insects May Be Important

The report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations¹ offers three main reasons why we should consider eating insects:

1. For health reasons as insects are healthy and nutritious, and are good replacements to current protein sources such as meat and fish.
2. For the environment as rearing insects for food is less damaging to the planet than livestock like chicken because it requires less space, emit less greenhouse gases like methane, and requires less food to grow.
3. For the economy as it provides new job opportunities as starting an insect-rearing ‘farm’ is much less expensive and less complicated than rearing livestock.

Consumption of other arthropods specifically arachnids like spiders (shown below) and scorpions too have the same benefits as eating insects. Arachnids are just not technically insects.


By A. www.viajar24h.com (http://flickr.com/photos/soschilds/375166267/) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

We Are Already Eating ‘Insects’

Even with all the goodness of entomophagy established, most people will still not choose to eat insects whether due to personal, cultural, or religious reasons. However, what people don’t often know is that in most of the foods we already consume, there are already unavoidable but small quantities of insects whether in part or whole. The Defect Levels Handbook²published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration presents a list of food items with natural or unavoidable ‘defects’, usually referring to the addition of unwanted objects such as insects, rodent filth, or mold.

Examples are:

• Ground cinnamon: Average of 400 or more insect fragments per 50 gram²
• Chocolate: Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams²
• Curry powder: Average of 100 or more insect fragments per 25 grams²
• Canned mushrooms: Average of over 20 or more maggots of any size per 100 grams of drained mushrooms and proportionate liquid²
• Peanut butter: Average of 30 or more insect fragments per 100 grams²
• Ground pepper: Average of 475 or more insect fragments per 50 grams²

The food items however are still safe to eat, so don’t be worried!

So when you're out shopping for groceries in the future, don't be too surprised to see insects at the supermarket!

Posted by Daniel
Petrosains

¹Edible insects: Future prospects for food and feed security - http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3253e/i3253e00.htm

²Defect Levels Handbook, U.S. Food and Drug Administration http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/SanitationTransportation/ucm056174.htm

Congak Competition at Petrosains

As you read the title, I believe some of you might have confused 'Congak' with 'Congkak', which are really two very different things but which I myself was confused with at the beginning. Congak is a Malay word which refers to the practice of 'mental mathematics'. Perhaps you might now be wondering what mental mathematics is, so let me help you clarify. Mental mathematics or mental math for short is the ability to do arithmetic calculations accurately without using any pen, paper, calculator, computer or any electronic devices. Basically you're counting 'in your mind' and don't be surprised but excellent mental math practitioners can solve fairly difficult problems very quickly. I met a ten year old kid who could answer the question of 1435x132 accurately in just a few seconds! 

I remembered growing up how popular mental mathematics was as a learning program and the concept was even advertised on television by many different companies. It used to be thought that being good at mental math afforded many other benefits and advantages to students. I myself tried to improve my mental math back then but these days, I find it much easier just to use a calculator and with almost everyone having a mobile phone, a calculator is always on hand.

Recently, Petrosains organised a Congak Competition as the centre celebrates all things mathematical. A total of 40 participants from Standards 4 & 5 from several schools took part in the Congak Competition. They were the ones who scored highest for the Congak Math quiz during Petrosains’ on-going thematic program, the Magical Math that involved 2525 students from 38 schools. 

The competition consists of a series of challenges, the first of which was called 'Calculate It'. Participants were challenged to solve 30 arithmetic questions with only 20 seconds alotted per question. Each of them was provided with an answer sheet for them to write the answers while the mathematical problems was splashed on screen.

Participants in deep focus as they attempt the first challenge.

The second challenge was a crowd favourite. If you love board games then I am sure you would love this too. The second challenge was presented in a board game format, and the game is called 'Math Magic Challenge'. The game is easy to learn but thrilling nonetheless requiring various skills such as good calculating skills, a sound strategy, and the ability to think fast!

 

A participant making a move on the board.

Think! Think!

For the third and final challenge, only five participants with the highest scores from the first two challenges took part. The final challenge was broken up into three parts, all variations of mental math activities requiring participants to solve given problems in increasing order of difficulty.

 

The judges for the day.

Supporters, teachers and parents watching the finalists on stage.

 

After the intense but exciting finals, the Congak Competition culminated with a big win by a student from SK Bandar Baru Sri Damansara (1)! The prize giving ceremony was inaugurated by the head of Majlis Guru Besar of the Petaling Zone, Selangor. For winners, keep up the good work and for those who didn't win, don't give up and keep trying. Mental Math is all about practice, practice, practice!

 

The first place winner!

Participants of the Congak Competition.

Shared by Ruby, Intern at Petrosains