KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- Dr Farouk Abd-Elaziem Gad, an AssociateProfessor in molecular biotechnology engineering at the InternationalIslamic University (IIU) in Gombak near here, has yielded positive resultsfrom his research on local plant wastes as he has found ways to convertthem into useful enzymes.

He said the net outcome of his findings on plant waste bio-conversioncould soon benefit Malaysia's agriculture and pharmaceutical sectors asthe commercial spin-offs could run into billions of ringgit.

Some entrepreneurs who had heard about his work have already startedtalking about commercialising his research findings, he said.

The 38-year-old Dr Farouk explained that their interest had stemmed fromthe fact that his work on bacterial enzymes had opened up new avenues inplant waste bio-conversion for improved animal feed nutrition, fertilisersas well as anti-cancer and other health applications.

"What this means is that the plant waste materials which are either burntaway or discarded by estates or farmers at present can be converted intomore value-added items," he said.

In the last two years, he has researched extensively on the isolation andcharacterisation of a novel patentable bacterial phytase from Malaysiansoil bacteria to be applied for converting plant wastes like padi husks,oil palm fronds and fruit bunches, and cocoa pods into rich high-endfertilisers, anti-water pollution agents and anti-cancer agents.

Of significance is that these enzymes can be produced in Malaysia at afraction of their present price, thus making their commercial productionan immensely viable proposition.

"InsyaAllah (God Willing), I hope to get my research patented in the nextfew months and I am very excited about their almost immediate commercialprospects," said Dr Farouk, an Egyptian by birth and now a Germannational.

While part of his innovation for agriculture can be applied almostimmediately, the "high end" applications in the medical field are stillbeing refined in co-operation with Prof Dr AM Shamsuddin of the Universityof Maryland's School of Medicine in Baltimore in the United States.

"I hope these applications will one day be ready for humans because thereis a great deal of interest in treating cancers," said Dr Farouk, addingthat they can also be applied for treating patients with diabeticdisorders and enhancement of the immune system.

Despite earning many times more at the Humboldt University in Berlin, hedecided to uproot himself from Germany to work at IIU's Faculty ofEngineering two years ago because "I see Malaysia as a progressive countrywith an international outlook and its very good infrastructure haveprovided me with the necessary support for my research."

IIU's laboratory facilities and the country's information andcommunication technology (ICT) infrastructure also enabled him to effect amulti-disciplinary co-operation and communication system with leadingscientists around the world, especially from Germany and the UnitedStates.

"There is no problem whatsoever," he said, adding that research specimensfrom Malaysia could also be couriered to any part of the world in a matterof days.

"The easy access to research materials like padi husks and oil palm wastesand plant-growth-promoting soil bacteria, which can even thrive in hottemperatures of up to 65 degrees Celsius, also helped me tremendously," hedisclosed.

In addition, the strong interest by Prime Minister Datuk Seri AbdullahAhmad Badawi in biotechnological applications to further stimulateMalaysia's agriculture sector and the global outlook of former PrimeMinister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad were also the pulling factors thatattracted Dr Farouk, a noted figure on the global biotechnology field.

Abdullah had as early as in January 2003 singled out biotechnology as anarea which Malaysia would have a clear competitive edge over the rest ofthe world.

"Malaysia is one of the areas of the world blessed with tremendousbiodiverse resources. It would be a folly if we did not explore ways onhow we can benefit from these God-given gifts," the prime minister hadsaid.

Abdullah, in pushing for more impetus in the agriculture sector, had alsostressed that "when you add the enormous power of biotechnology currentlysweeping the world, agriculture is a sector that is not only critical tothe nation but potentially lucrative as well."

Dr Farouk, who had worked on antibiotics in a post-doctoral fellowshipfunded by the German government and pharmaceutical giant Bayer from 1996to 1998, said with all the facilities and resources well in place inMalaysia and with Abdullah's keen interest in biotechnology, it was nothard for him to decide to work at IIU because "this involves 15 years ofmy work in biotechnology."

At IIU, he had formed a bio-molecular engineering research group with DrMohamad Ramlan Mohamed Salleh, Dr Hamzah Mohd Salleh, Prof Ahmad FarisIsmail (Dean of Engineering) Prof Dr. Mohamed Ismail, Dr Faridah Yuosefand Rashdan M Rashid to research into a number of areas includingrecombinant bacterial enzymes from Malaysian soil bacteria, recombinantbacterial enzymes in transgenic plants (plants whose germ or life-formline has been incorporated with artificially introduced DNA), functionalfood, recombinant bacterial anti-microbial peptides and bio-informatics.

These efforts paid off as Dr Farouk was presented with two medals (onesilver and one bronze) from Datuk Dr Jamaludin Jarjis, the Science,Technology and Innovation Minister, at a recent expo organised by thelatter's ministry. The medals were for his innovation on "Thermophilicrecombinant bacterial enzymes for plant waste conversion" and "A novelnanobiotechnology application of recombinant bacterial phytases foranti-cancer and health benefits".

Explaining his work on bacterial phytases, which he collaborated with DrRalf Greiner of the Federal Research Centre for Nutrition and Food, DrFarouk said interest in phytate-degrading had steadily increased in thelast 10 years because possible applications of phytases have beensuggested in animal nutrition to increase protein and mineralbioavailability.

Phytases are naturally occurring enzymes or specialised proteins. Theseact as a catalyst in the stomach or during food processing to producephytic acid which helps to strengthen and provide a tonic effect on thebody.

Elaborating on animal feed supplements, Dr Farouk explained that theaddition of phytate-degrading enzymes could also help improve thenutritional value of plant-based foods by enhancing protein digestibilityand mineral availability through phytate hydrolysis during digestion inthe stomach or during food processing.

In order to provide farm animals with sufficient phosphate, their feed issupplemented with inorganic phosphate because of the limitation ofdigestible phosphorous in plant and animal nutrition. Their dietaryphytate is then degraded by the intestinal bacterial flora and excreted inthe faeces. This often results in animal agriculture contributing to waterpollution.

But Dr Farouk said possible applications of phytases could help decreasephosphate pollution in areas of intensive livestock management and inhuman nutrition to increase bio-availability and to provide humans withphysiologically active phytate-degradation products as well as stimulatingplant growth.

Besides nutritional applications, he said research into phytate and theirintermediates from phytate-degrading enzymes hydrolysis had also beenintensified in recent years because of their beneficial effects in helpingto reduce heart diseases, prevent renal stone formation and minimise therisk of colon cancer.

To effect these beneficial medical applications, Dr Farouk saidMyo-inositol phosphate intermediates have to be produced in large amountsand with purity by a relatively inexpensive system.

"This already can be done in Malaysia," he said, adding that his work onthese applications had been published in many high-level internationaljournals and presented at different international conferences over thelast three years. These pertained to the three bacterial phytases as arecombinant cloned from E. coli, Klebsiella sp. and Bacillus sp.

"But the phytase prototype as a novel phytase, which I have discovered inMalaysian soil bacteria, is the most suitable enzyme for industry. It's anew discovery and this is what the industry is looking for. The currentlycommercially produced enzymes are different than the enzyme that we have,"he said.

Dr Farouk said a lot of phytases had been isolated and producedcommercially "but the most important and suitable for internationalindustrial demands are stable enzymes at high temperature, low pH,specific activity and productivity."

"Our enzyme, "PhyFA-UIA1", in combination with the three above mentionedenzymes that we own are very good materials for bigger innovations. Wehope they can be produced in Malaysia and earn billions of ringgit fromthe Myo-inositol phosphates intermediates obtained from the wastes of ricehusks and broken rice.

"They have proven my point that the plant waste materials and suitablesoil bacteria found in Malaysia have been critical for my research and inproducing enzymes that will be in much demand all over the world," hesaid.

-- BERNAMA