ASEAN SPICE: THE

CONNECTING
CULTURE OF
SOUTHEAST ASIAN-
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
Nurul Ain Shafiah binti Haji Junaidi
Practitioner
Royal Brunei Culinary (RBC)

Syahirah binti Haji Shahlehi (Dr.)

Researcher
Faculty of Agriculture
Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA)
CONTENTS:

HISTORY OF DATA TREND OF EXAMPLES OF CULINARY USE OF MEDICINAL

BRUNEI SPICES BRUNEI SPICES BRUNEI SPICES SPICES PLANTS
PRODUCTS

HERBS HOUSE RESEARCH ON POTENTIAL PRODUCT

MEDICINAL RESEARCH ON DEVELOPMENT
PLANTS SPICES
 Brunei is a tiny nation, yet has a long and rich history
especially in the early centuries.

History of 6th century: Being an island nation, Brunei’s history is steeped

in trade. As early as the 6th century, Brunei was a center of
Brunei Spices trade and commerce in the Spice Islands.

Trading sought-after spices and woods with countries such as

India and China.
History of Brunei Spices

• Spices have also been used in traditional practices

including massage during pregnancy, general health
and well-being.
• 1929- with the discovery of oil, Brunei economy was
heavily reliance on the oil and gas production
• Present time: Brunei’s economy is still dependent on
oil and gas, yet Brunei is diversifying the economy to
reduce the reliance on non-renewable resources
Data trend: Export Spices
• In 2022, Brunei exported $4.14k in Spices, making it the 159th largest exporter
of Spices in the world.
• At the same year, Spices was the 468th most exported product in Brunei.
• The main destination of Spices exports from Brunei are Malaysia ($3.73k), Japan
($199), United Arab Emirates ($135), Singapore ($49), and United States ($10).

Data retrieved from: (The Observatory of Economic Complexity, 2024)

Data trend: Import Spices
• In 2022, Brunei imported $3.37M in Spices, becoming the 92nd largest
importer of Spices in the world. At the same year, Spices was the 187th
most imported product in Brunei. Brunei imports Spices primarily from:
Malaysia ($2.1M), China ($617k), Singapore ($143k), India ($92.8k), and
Pakistan ($92.2k).

Data retrieved from: (The Observatory of Economic Complexity, 2024)

Examples
• Sabli – Brunei’s leading seasonings
producer
• Gading
• LCK
• Andas
• Rizqussalam
Culinary Use of Spices

• Spices and herbs are used in cuisine to improve

flavour and to provide new taste.
• Culinary practice are similar to Malaysia, and
Singapore.
• Local foods are influenced by Malaysian,
Indian and Chinese style.
• Dishes from Brunei are often spicy and are
commonly eaten with either rice or noodles.
Example of dish:
Rendang beef/chicken

• Spices used: cumin powder,

coriander powder, cloves,
cinnamon, star anise and cardomom
• To enhance flavour: lime kaffir
leaves, turmeric leaf, kerisik
Example of
dish: Soto
chicken/beef
Spices used: coriander seeds, cumin seeds
and fennel seeds- toasted in pan to get
aromatic smell and enchance its flavor.
Medicinal Plants

• All plants produce many chemicals that

are biologically active and often have
health benefits.
• A good knowledge about the plants’
chemical composition leads to the
understanding of its therapeutic value.
Medicinal Plants
The secondary metabolites are the major
contributors of specific odour, color
and taste of plant parts

The substances serve as the molecules for

plant defense against the attack by
microorganisms and herbivores, and some of
these substances also possess medicinal
properties to treat several diseases (Wink
M., 2022).
Medicinal Plants:
Brunei Brunei Darussalam has high diversity of plant
species (5,000 species of vascular plants with
2,000 tree species) that covers a large portion of its
land.

Some of the flora species are unique and endemic

to Borneo and some of the plant species remain
completely unknown, thus become an excellent
potential target for research (Brunei Forestry
Department & Ministry of Industry and Primary
Resources, 2015).
Medicinal Plant:

• In Brunei, the local folk remedies known as

“Ubat kampong” are practiced among
indigenous groups who have traditional
knowledge about the herbal plants found locally
(Nurolaini et al., 2014).
• Locals mainly use traditional herbal medicines
to maintain health and vitality, and for the
treatment of major or minor illnesses.
Establishment of
Herbs House in
UNISSA Campus
Officiated: August 2023
by His Royal Highness
Pengiran Muda Mahkota
Pengiran Muda (Dr.) Haji
Al-Muhtadee Billah
 Research on Medicinal Plants:
Anthelmintic Activity of Selected
Brunei Medicinal Plants

• Widespread occurrence of parasitic infections in agricultural settings,

particularly in small ruminants.
• Causes a significant threat to animal health, which result in economic losses.
• Synthetic anthelmintic drugs are usually required to control the parasitic
worm infections.
• They have succeeded in reducing intestinal parasitic infections, but none has
been able to diminish the reinfestation of diseases and lead to the
development of helminth resistance.
• Therefore, there is an urgent need for novel anthelmintic drugs against
intestinal parasitic nematodes especially derived from herbal sources (Kasah
et al., 2024).
Research on
Medicinal Plants:
Anthelmintic
Activity of Selected Andrographis paniculata (Hempedu
Brunei Medicinal Bumi)
Plants

Litsea elliptica (Pawas)

Azadirachta indica (Neem)
Source: (Kasah et al., 2024).
 Results are promising: All plant extracts have
shown to have anthelmintic activity
Treatments with C. Neem Aqueous Extract Neem Ethanol Extract Pawas Aqueous Pawas Ethanol Hempedu Bumi Hempedu Bumi
elegans for Head Extract Extract Aqueous Extract Ethanol Extract
Trashing assay

M9 buffer (negative 92.47 ± 7.90 81.13 ± 5.32 73.2 ± 12.1 83 ± 6.85 70.1 ± 3.33 91 ± 5.26
control)

Levamisole (positive 0 0 0 0 0 0
control) **** **** **** **** **** ****

5mg/ml 18.13 ± 9.07 71.27 ± 4.13 43.73 ± 5.47 3.86 ± 4.41 73.2 ± 2.57 94.73 ± 4.55
**** **** ****

10mg/ml 12.33 ± 6.82 60.33 ± 10.97 26.93 ± 9.97 2.93 ± 2.72 71.27 ± 3.35 84.07 ± 4.46
**** *** **** ****
15mg/ml 6.73 ± 5.80 16.47 ± 8.42 15.2 ± 6.9 1.733 ± 2.14 70.73 ± 3.41 75.87 ± 4.93
**** **** **** **** ***
20mg/ml 1.73 ± 1.99 13.73 ± 11.18 12 ± 6.65 0 67.33 ± 4.63 72.53 ± 4.92
**** **** **** **** ****
25mg/ml 0.6 ± 0.97 3.8 ± 5.8 4.4 ± 3.32 0 68.33 ± 3.08 59.2 ± 3.26
**** **** **** **** ****
30mg/ml 0 0 2.67 ± 2.07 0 33.47 ± 3.27 52.07 ± 7.41
**** **** **** **** **** ****

* p ≤ 0.05; ** p ≤ 0.01; *** p ≤ 0.001; **** p ≤ 0.0001 (plant extract vs control)

Potential Research on Spices

• Can do various research as well, as spices are known to

have many benefits
• Examples:
• Cinnamon- anthelmintic study, insecticidal action
• Curcumin – feed additive, for immunity in fish and
livestocks
• Cloves- insecticidal action, repellent activity
against pests
Product Development

• Future plan: From Agricultural

Research to ‘Product Development’
 THE END

Thank you for listening!

References:
• Brunei Forestry Department, & Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. (2015). The 5TH National Report To The
Convention on Biological Diversity.
• Kasah, R., Shahlehi, S., Petalcorin, M. I., Najim, M. M., Ahmed, O. H., Kim Choo, L. N. L., & Sekot, S. (2024). Potential
anthelminthic properties of selected medicinal plants in Brunei Darussalam: a phytochemical review. Journal of Wildlife and
Biodiversity, 8(3), 88–110. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11181258
• Nurolaini, K., Wint, Z., Jaini, N. H., Hamid, M. A., Linda, Y. Y. L. (2014). Prevalence on the Use of Traditional Medicine in
Brunei Darussalam. Journal of Homeopathy & Ayurvedic Medicine, 03(03), 3–8. http://doi.org/10.4172/2167-1206.1000155
• Wink, M. (2015). Modes of Action of Herbal Medicines and Plant Secondary Metabolites. Medicines (Basel), 2, 251-286.
http://doi:10.3390/medicines2030251
• The Economic Complexity Observatory (2024). Spcies in Brunei. Retrieved 26 May 2024 from
https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/spices/reporter/brn