FOODBORNE diseases kill more than 150,000 people annually, so being able to detect contaminated food is crucial in helping to stem an outbreak of food poisoning before it gets out of hand. Unfortunately, conventional laboratory-based testing approaches of raw produce, such as chicken, are too slow and can no longer meet the demands of today’s large-scale food production as it takes anywhere between two and seven days to complete.
Dr Chai Lay Ching, a senior lecturer of Universiti Malaya’s Institute of Biological Sciences, discovered that the Campylobacter jejuni bacterium, also known as Salmonella, produces a specific scent when grown on the agar plate. With that, she could identify raw food samples with Campylobacter by simply sniffing them out.
The discovery contributed to her research in developing time-sensitive food-testing method that is cost-effective to detect dangerous bacteria. This helps reduce diseases associated with bacteria in food. The research is timely in the wake of several reported deaths due to food poisoning in Malaysia last month.
Chai was one of the three women scientists in Malaysia who received the L’Oreal-Unesco For Women in Science award recently. Together with Associate Professor Dr Norhayati Abdullah of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT) and Dr Lam Sze Mun of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman’s Department of Environmental Engineering, the three received a grant of RM30,000 each to help them pursue their research.
The two other research by Norhayati and Lam looked at improved methods for wastewater treatment and sustainable energy production.
So how will Chai’s research change the way food is tested?
“This research is crucial to the future development of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)-based biosensors, also known as the electric nose.
“This method of testing can be
automated, is easy to perform and instantly detects contamination. It can be extrapolated to other types of raw meat and food products,” she said, adding that VOCs are organic chemicals that are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids.
To make science meaningful, Chai said researchers need to stay relevant and help solve issues faced by many through science.
“The road to success won’t be easy though. Being a lecturer in a university
means it is not just about giving lectures, but also fitting in with other academicians at the faculty, as well as carrying out and completing relevant research and publications.”
She said women face a lot of challenges in their work as scientists too.
“Women scientists nowadays face many challenges, one of them being work-life balance. Balancing your life between family and career is not an easy task.”
BALANCING FAMILY ANDCAREER
Norhayati seems to have found that fine balance between family and career, though she prefers to call it “give-and-take”.
Having started a family at a young age, she has her husband to thank for in her pursuit of knowledge in the field of environmental engineering.
Last year, she was required to do a four-month Fullbright US-Asean research tenure at University of Michigan,
in the United States. It was the firsttime she had to leave her three children in her husband’s care and travel alone overseas.
“We try not to do the same thing at the same time. For example, when my husband was pursuing his PhD, I took a break from my career to care for the children. Likewise, when I had to go to the US for the Fullbright US-Asean research tenure, my husband helped take care of the children. We always plan our time around the children’s needs.”
“He shared the responsibilities of taking charge of our young boys and most importantly, he let me explore science wherever and whenever I wanted.”
As she is part of the International Water Association (IWA), networking and meeting water and wastewater experts from around the world as a member of the board of directors and a fellow since 2002, it is no surprise that Norhayati chose wastewater treatment as her research subject.
Her research focuses on aerobic granular sludge, which are seeds made of microorganisms. These microorganisms break down the organic compounds in wastewater into much simpler compounds, allowing the treated wastewater to be released safely into receiving water bodies such as rivers.
Aside from the positive ramifications on the environment, Norhayati’s method is a cost-effective treatment to reduce operational and maintenance costs. Without adequate treatment, surface water pollution becomes an issue where there is either insufficient or improper disposal of solid and liquid waste into rivers or lakes.
“I was motivated by IWA’s notion to inspire change together and contribute more to the sector. In fact, IWA has been instrumental in shaping my career.”
HARNESSING ENERGY FROM WASTEWATER
Lam, the third award recipient also shares Norhayati’s concerns about wastewater treatment.
In her research, Lam has focused on a new method that not only eliminates organic matters in wastewater, but also recovers the energy stored in them through the use of a photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) via active photo-electrode materials.
“PFCs have attracted worldwide interest due to their ability to treat organics in wastewater and generate electricity simultaneously. This can address the environmental pollution problem as well as the energy crisis.”
Her research focuses on the treatment of greywater as it is household water that has great potential to be recycled and reused. The outcome of Lam’s research will not only create clean and sustainable energy production, but also introduce an economical and environmental approach to greywater treatment.
“Greywater that has been treated can be reused mainly for irrigation purposes as we have yet to move to the next level, which is to eliminate bacteria from the wastewater. Once that is achieved, the treated water can be used for human consumption,” said Lam.
CURIOUS ABOUT SCIENCE
Lam said she had always been an inquisitive child and asked a lot of questions when she was younger.
“In secondary school, I became more interested in experiments.”
She believes that science can improve people’s quality of life. “Many aspects of modern life are being impacted by scientific knowledge. The modern world would not be modern at all without the knowledge and technology enabled by science.”
Chai, on the other hand, experienced a tragedy which motivated her to study science. When she was in school, her father died of kidney failure. This made her interested in science and, in particular, biology as she wanted to know what had caused her father’s illness that led to his death.
“My father’s illness made me wonder about the disease. I was curious about why it happened and whether there was a cure,” said Chai, who is the eldest among three girls.
On being a role model for other women scientists, Lam said the more she pursues her career, the more she feels the responsibility of becoming a role model for other women scientists.
Her research group has attracted more than 60 per cent of women researchers.
“As a young woman academician, my responsibility is to ensure gender equality, and to boost the employability and career progression of female graduates.”
She always tells her students: “If I can do it, so can you.”
HONOURING WOMEN SCIENTISTS
In its 13th year running in Malaysia, this year saw 157 Malaysian women scientists applying for the L’Oreal-Unesco for Women in Science award fellowship.
The fellowship is opened to all Malaysian women researchers/scientists under the age of 40, who are PhD holders or are pursuing research studies in any scientific field.
As in previous years, this year’s submission went through a preliminary grading by a panellist comprising past fellows of the award. Then, the recipients’ fellowships were decided by a panel of jury members nominated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and the Academy of Science, each one a leader in their field of science.
To date, the fellowship in Malaysia has awarded and provided more than RM1 million research grants to more than 40 outstanding women scientists.
This year, L’Oreal-Unesco has launched the Male Champions for Women in Science initiative where male scientists are encouraged to contribute to better gender balance in science for more effective progress.