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Comment by 私貨珍藏 on April 26, 2015 at 8:23pm

SABAH TEA

SABAH TEA is a member of YeeLee, a corporation which was incepted in 1973. It is a company that is well-diversified with active subsidiaries covering manufacturing and, the sales and distribution of a wide array of products both locally and internationally with tea as one of their distinctive product. Hailed as the magic bullet to keep heart disease and cancer at bay, tea Camellia Sinensis has become the drink of choice for many health conscious consumers. What’s healthier than tea? Of course SABAH TEA the 100% pesticide free tea.

SABAH TEA is grown at the rolling foothills of Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, using many innovative natural processes for pest and disease control. Set amidst a sprawling 6,200-acres land, 1,200-acres of the land has been dedicated to the Sabah Tea plantation. Pristine 130 million years old rainforest makes up the rest of the plantation which plays a huge role in maintaining the equilibrium of the fauna. Mother Nature has graced us with her best – the rainforest becomes a natural shield to the plantation as insects are drawn more towards it; leaving the harvest for SABAH TEA truly pure. Being a single-estate plantation, SABAH TEA consists only of the finest tea leaves picked from its own plantation. Thus, the quality and consistency of the tea is controlled and it is the only way to ensure that the tea is free from unknown substances or chemicals. These factors make SABAH TEA 100% pesticide free.

sabahtea2With highly experienced personnel in both the manufacturing and marketing sectors managing the product, SABAH TEA has now achieved its milestone in the international market with the support and platform provided by MATRADE to promote the brand in various events such as ‘Taste of London 2010’ in England, the ‘Malaysia Kitchen’ at Selfridges London, Birmingham, Manchester Trafford and Manchester Exchange, as well as ‘Taste of Auckland 2010’ in New Zealand.

And, these were tremendous opportunities gained by SABAH TEA to expand its market, allowing international consumers to experience and taste the goodness of its tea.

Trusted by many, SABAH TEA Garden has accumulated a series of accolades since it’s inception; the SKAL International B.V of the Netherlands, SIRIM (the national organization of standardization and quality) for its originality and outstanding quality, and also the SALM (Malaysian Farm Certification Scheme for Good Agriculture Practice) by the Department of Agriculture Malaysia for its efforts in sustainable agriculture.

SABAH TEA is proud to be a truly healthy Malaysian beverage for a healthy lifestyle.

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on April 26, 2015 at 8:13pm

Borneo Virgin Coconut Oil

Virgin coconut oil is sometimes described as having incredible and near-miraculous health benefits as a nutritional supplement. Some of these exaggerated claims are made by manufacturers or by websites that sell the coconut oil which is clearly a conflict of interest. Does coconut oil have any real benefits for health?

Coconut oil is extracted from the meat of mature coconuts harvested from the coconut palm. There are several methods for extracting the oil and they produce oils with different characteristics. In the traditional method, the coconut kernel is shredded, mixed with a little water, and then squeezed to extract an emulsion called coconut cream or coconut milk. The coconut milk is then allowed to separate naturally, and the oil rises to the surface. In the dry process, shredded coconut is dried in the sun or in an oven and the oil is extracted by pressing. The dried coconut kernel is called "copra", and coconut oil is sometimes called copra oil. Virgin coconut oil is defined as coconut oil obtained by mechanical or natural means with or without the application of heat, which does not lead to alteration of the oil. Coconut oil prepared by cold pressing preserves polyphenols and other biologically active components that may be degraded by heat.

Coconut oil is used in foods, medicines, cosmetics, and industrial applications. In some Asian countries, coconut oil is used for cooking and frying, and coconut milk is used as an ingredient in curry recipes. Coconut oil is resistant to rancidity and its use increased as a replacement for hydrogenated fats when manufacturers were required to report trans fats in nutrition labels.

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on April 26, 2015 at 8:12pm

Chemically, coconut oil is a mixture of triglycerides (compounds made of glycerol and fatty acids) with carbon chains of 8 to 18 atoms. Over ninety percent of the fatty acids in coconut oil are saturated, which means that they cannot oxidize and become rancid. Approximately 60% of coconut oil consists of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) with fatty acids of 6 to 12 carbon atoms. The only unsaturated fatty acids in coconut oil are oleic acid and linoleic acid which comprise only 8 percent of the total fatty acids. The typical fatty acid composition of coconut oil is given in the following table.

Caprylic Acid (C8:0) 8%
Capric Acid (C10:0) 6%
Lauric Acid (C12:0) 47%
Myristic Acid (C14:0) 18%
Palmitic Acid (C16:0) 9%
Stearic Acid (C18:0) 3%
Oleic Acid (C18:1) 6%
Linoleic Acid (C18:2) 2%

The health claims for coconut oil are based on the properties of some of the fatty acid components. Medium-chain triglycerides are absorbed directly from the gastrointestinal system and consumption of MCTs has been shown to increase energy expenditure and lead to greater losses of the adipose tissue in animals and humans.[1] Lauric acid is also found in human milk (6.2% of total fat) and it has antibacterial and antiviral activity[2,3].

Something that is less frequently mentioned about coconut oil is that its high content of myristic acid increases cholesterol strongly and the palmitic acid also increases cholesterol.[4,5] Even though coconut oil itself does not contain cholesterol because it is a vegetable product, its fatty acids produce a significant cholesterolemic response in the body.

One tablespoon of coconut oil (about 14 grams) provides 13.2 grams of saturated fat which is 65% of the Recommended Daily Allowance. This makes it difficult to add other sources of healthier dietary fats without exceeding the saturated fat allowance. Unfortunately, it is not possible to separate the fatty acids with potential beneficial effects from the ones that increase cholesterol.

Coconut oil may not be a good dietary fat, but when used as a skin moisturizer, it is as effective and safe as mineral oil.[6] In addition, applied topically as a cream or lotion, coconut oil has antimicrobial properties against yeast infections such as Candida[7], and antifungal properties against Trichophyton[8] which is the fungus that causes tinea fungal infections like ringworm, athlete's foot and jock itch. The antifungal properties of coconut oil may be due to its content of medium chain fatty acids such as capric acid.[9]

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on April 24, 2015 at 3:24pm

Kopi Tenom fest kicks off

TENOM: Its aroma, fragrant. Its taste, enticing. That is the general experience when visiting the Yit Foh Coffee Factory, here.

The factory is one of the producers of Kopi Tenom. It has been operating since 1960 and is still employing the traditional way of producing coffee grounds: by roasting the beans over woodfire.

"This method is best in bringing out the true aroma of coffee," said its factory manager, Alex Yong, when met at the factory in Kampung Chintamata, some 3km away from Tenom town.

Alex, who inherited the family business, opened up a new factory in 1993 and is now working at expanding the market for his products globally.

Making coffee starts with the process of sun drying coffee cherries for 14 days. After that, the outer layers of the dried cherries are hulled. It is then roasted from 7am to noon by a "coffee cook" while packing is done from 8am to 5pm.

Yong has 36 trained staff, including six "coffee cooks", capable of producing some 600 packets of coffee products daily.

Today, the company produces 10 coffee products that are marketed nationwide as well as in the neighbouring Brunei.

Besides providing local farmers income opportunities, Kopi Tenom has also helped familiarise Sabah in the way Cameron Highlands popularised Boh Tea.

Coffee is one of Tenom's most important agricultural produce, so much so that the district has been dubbed "Sabah's coffee capital".

To further promote it, a coffee festival is being held from today (Nov 12) until Friday (Nov 14).

The festival will culminate in an event this Friday where 4,000 people will simultaneously drink coffee, to break the current record of 3,068 people as stated in the Malaysian Book of Records.

The Tenom District Officer, Madiyem Layapan said there would also be an exhibition on Kopi Tenom at the event, with the participation of two major coffee chains.

"We would also be flying in six Microlight aircraft carrying the Kopi Tenom flag," he said.

The festival will also feature various tourist attractions in Tenom, known for its heavy influence of Murut culture, and the Kopi Tenom Beauty Pageant.

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on April 24, 2015 at 3:24pm

Tenom is today one of Sabah's most promising sites for agricultural development for meeting the country's produce needs.

The 2,238 sqkm area is located some 173km to the south of Kota Kinabalu and is bordering Keningau, Sipitang, Beaufort and the Kalimantan region of Indonesia.

Its MP Datuk Raimee Unggi represents 68,000 people, 70 per cent of them Murut. He believes that the district is an undiscovered goldmine of the agricultural industry and is determined to develop it.

（Tenom, Photo Credit: wikipedia）

"In Tenom, the main focus is to improve the economic standards among the villagers, as its crops and fruit products have a high commercial value," he said during a recent visit to the district.

He wants to create a farm produce collection centre in Tenom to collate and organise data on produce as well as generate better income for the locals.

Raimee who is also Tenom's Parliamentary Agriculture Development Council Chairman said the centre would be equipped with modern equipments, a packaging area and fresh produce storage. "We want our farmers to be given the best price for their quality produce," he said.

Among the farm produce with good market potential are bananas, avocado, guava and papaya. – Bernama，November 14, 2014

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on April 24, 2015 at 3:06pm

Ginger, A Boon For Tikolod Folks

TAMBUNAN, Feb 6，2006 (Bernama) -- Fresh ginger or "halia segar" to the Malays is also known as saang geung in Cantonese, sheng jiang in Mandarin or simply Ingee in Tamil.

Scientifically named as "zingiber officinale" and believed to have originated from Southern China, it is a remedy for motion sickness and said to be able to boost blood circulation. This is no surprise as some people have been using it as an aphrodisiac.

To most Malaysians, ginger is a wonderful spice to cook.

Cultivating ginger is no big deal for farmers, but to residents of Tikolod, a Kadazandusun village located some 12km from here, it is their livelihood.

Tikolod is even dubbed the "ginger village" as it is Sabah's biggest ginger producer where almost all of its 500-odd residents are involved in ginger-planting.

Ginger farmer Thadius Yanggot said a Tikolod villager earns around RM350 a month from ginger-planting, depending on the acreage of land planted with this crop.

"This helps parents to supplement their income, assisting in meeting the schooling expenditure of their children," said the 61-year-old Thadius.

ANCESTRAL ACTIVITY

For Joannis Sampai, 37, planting ginger has been in existence for so long in the village, right from the time of their ancestors.

"Apart from ginger, other crops do not draw much interest here. There are some who plant paddy and other cash crops but these activities are on a small scale and only for their personal needs," he said.

Joannis hopes for the wholesale price of ginger to move up in the future. The price now hovers between RM1.80 and RM2.50 a kg.

Maritah Emin, 38, said Tikolod ginger farmers have no problems in selling their produce as there is a collection centre operated by the Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (Fama) apart from middlemen who come to the village to buy the ginger wholesale.

"There are several breed of ginger but we prefer the Chinese variety. Previously we plant the local type but its size is too small.

"So we switch to the Chinese ginger and it is proven to be bigger and more commercial," said Maritah who plants ginger on 1.3 hectares of land.

She said the Chinese ginger is not exclusive to only Tikolod as there are other parts in Sabah that are ideal for its cultivation.

"If ginger-planting can be the livelihood of Tikolod villagers, it is not impossible for it to take place in other remote areas of the state if it is vigorously pursued," said Maritah.

VARIOUS CHALLENGES

Maritah admitted that earning money from cultivating ginger is no easy job as there are various challenges to it including the long eight-month wait for its "rhizome" or root to mature.

Comment by 私貨珍藏 on April 24, 2015 at 2:54pm

Not to mention the back-breaking farm-clearing work.

"So what we do is to plant the ginger in stages so that we continue to get our monthly earnings. There are several successful farmers who have reaped handsome rewards from this activity," said Maritah.

However the success story of Tikolod farmers is by no means an instant result.

Paulus Dandu, 64, has this to say: "I am very happy for having a better life now as compared to the pre-Merdeka days".

"Then, Tikolod village was lacking basic amenities. We have to walk the 12km stretch to Tambunan town to sell our produce.

"We usually carry about 25kg of fresh ginger in "wakid" (a huge basket used by the Kadazandusuns to carry things) and started for Tambunan at 2am and finally arriving at the town about five hours later.

"That was how we went about our work until the government built a road to Tikolod in 1976," Paulus told Bernama at the village which appears to be catching up with development.

The various infrastructure provided by the government -- schools, electricity and treated water supply as well as roads are in place and proved that the village is no longer left out from the development mainstream.

Thadius said: "Life as a farmer is hard, but what (facilities) we enjoy now are much better as compared to before Merdeka."

Admitting that he lacks education, Thadius said he is aware that education is very important to his children.

"I want them to get tertiary education and obtain better jobs instead of living the difficult and hard life that we have gone through," said Thadius, who also earns extra cash by making the "sompon", a traditional musical instrument.

ALTERNATIVE CAREER

As for Joanis, he harbours hopes for the market price of ginger to soar as it would give better earnings to the villagers.

"If the ginger price goes up, the villagers' standard of living will be better. Hence, this will help the government to lower the poverty rate especially in rural areas," he said.

Based on the national poverty definition, any family earning a monthly household income of RM680 or lower is considered poor while those with an income of RM350 or lower is categorised under the hardcore poor.

Meanwhile, Florence Juin, 20, said cultivating ginger can be an alternative work for jobless youths.

"If our parents, who depend on ginger-planting, can raise us and send us to school, I do not see why the present younger generation cannot do the same.

"The determination of Kampung Tikolod (villagers) to have a much better life by the year 2020 should be jointly shouldered by the younger generation as they are the ones who will be continuing the tradition of ginger-planting that has contributed a lot to Tikolod villagers," she said. (BERNAMA，By Newmond Tibin，Photo by The District of Tambunan)

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