Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions. It is a physical science for studies of various atoms, molecules, crystals and other aggregates of matter whether in isolation or combination, which incorporates the concepts of energy and entropy in relation to the spontaneity of chemical processes. Modern chemistry evolved out of alchemy following the chemical revolution. Disciplines within chemistry are traditionally grouped by the type of matter being studied or the kind of study. These include inorganic chemistry, the study of inorganic matter; organic chemistry, the study of organic matter; biochemistry, the study of substances found in biological organisms; physical chemistry, the energy related studies of chemical systems at macro, molecular and submolecular scales; analytical chemistry, the analysis of material samples to gain an understanding of their chemical composition and structure. Many more specialized disciplines have emerged in recent years such as phytochemistry, the chemical studies in plants and neurochemistry, the chemical study of the nervous system.

The research activities in Melaka Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) under chemistry and food technology unit are focused on phytochemistry. Phytochemistry is in the strict sense of the word the study of phytochemicals. These are chemicals derived from plants. In a narrower sense the terms are often used to describe the large number of secondary metabolic compounds found in plants. Many of these are known to provide protection against insect attacks and plant diseases. They also exhibit a number of protective functions for human consumers. Techniques commonly used in the field of phytochemistry are extraction, isolation and structural elucidation (MS,1D and 2D NMR) of natural products, as well as various chromatography techniques (MPLC, HPLC, LC-MS).

Phytochemistry is widely used in the field of Chinese medicine especially in the field of herbal medicine. Phytochemical technique mainly applies to the quality control of Chinese medicine or herbal medicine of various chemical components, such as saponins, alkaloids, volatile oils, flavonoids and anthraquinones. In the development of rapid and reproducible analytical techniques, the combination of HPLC with different detectors, such as diode array detector (DAD), refractive index detector (RID), evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) and mass spectrometric detector (MSD), has been widely developed. In most cases, biologically active compounds in Chinese medicine or herbal medicine have not been determined. Therefore, it is important to use the phytochemical methods to screen and analyze bioactive components, not only for the quality control of crude drugs, but also for the elucidation of their therapeutic mechanisms. Modern pharmacological studies indicate that binding to receptors or ion channels on cell membranesred cell membrane extraction and high performance liquid chromatography to screen potential active components in Chinese medicine. is the first step of some drug actions. A new method in phytochemistry called biochromatography has been developed. This method combines human

The major research and development work in Chemistry and Food Technology unit in MIB is based on local plants and herbs. This approach was initiated in the early stage because Malaysia is very rich in the plant biodiversity and many potential plants and herbs are not being fully explored and utilized though they are potential to be formulated as effective drugs or supplements in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and cosmetics industries.

One of the research and development projects in this unit is to find out the potential plants as natural antioxidant. It is believed that antioxidant has the ability to boost immune system in organisms and human beings by neutralizing the free radicals in the bodies. Hence, various diseases such as cardiovascular, diabetes, hypertension and other diseases could be prevented by consuming the antioxidant as supplement. This is an on-going project in MIB that consist activities such as screening of potential local plants and herbs for antioxidant purposes and production and evaluation of effectiveness on potential plants extract. This area of research is aimed to provide new approach to aquaculture farmers compared to the existing conventional methods for yield enhancement. In addition, the success of the project will also generate bright opportunity to agricultural farmers on growing herbs based on the demand required.

Besides, MIB is able to provide chemical and food testings on raw materials and finished products for entrepreneurs from food and beverages industries. The parameters that can be conducted in MIB includes proximate analysis (protein, fat, carbohydrate and energy), microbiological testings, vitamin C, A, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, water analyses, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. This project was funded by Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development (MECD) to help the entrepreneurs to conduct the testings and monitor their quality of products before marketed with reduced costs.

Therefore, the research activities in this unit is initiated mainly to help entrepreneurs and farmers for better results and quality in terms of products and yield besides generating income to MIB.