Samples of sundried, matured red pepper, Capsicum annum with a moisture content (MC) of 12.7-26.8 percent had on dry weight basis, vitamin C, 5.0-6.4 mg/100 g; crude protein, 0.8-1.2 percent; total soluble solids, 3.3-4.1 percent, and fungal counts of log 4.4-4.5/g. Ordinary matured red C. annum had MC, 75.7-78.2 percent vitamin C, 36.1-38.5 mg/100 g; crude protein, 2.4-2.8 percent; total soluble solids, 9.3-9.9 percent and fungal count of log 3.32-3.39/g. Sundried matured red C. frutescens had corresponding values of 9.4-18.7 percent; 5.8-6.3 mg/100 g; 0.8-1.1 percent; 0.9-2.6 percent and log 3.2-3.4/g. No aflatoxins were detected in sundried, matured red C. frutescens, but aflatoxin B1 values obtained from C. annum varied from non-detectable to 2.2 micrograms/kg. Dominant fungi isolated from C. annum and C. frutescens were Rhizopus oryzaze, Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Geotrichum candidum and Saccharomyces spp.

SummaryEmploying crude coagulants from sodom apple Calotropis procera, processing conditions of 65 -85 "C for 40-65 min and reduced pH, reductions in microbial population were found in a locallyproduced soft, white cheese "wara". The finished product "wara" did not keep well under ambient conditions (RH 75 5%, temp. 26 _+ 2 "C). From some selected critical control points along the line of processing, Bacillus spp., coliforms, staphylococci and moulds Aspergillus and Mucor spp. were isolated. Aflatoxin B, (AFB,) and aflatoxin M, (AFM,) levels of samples examined ranged from 4.8-5.3 pg/kg and 6.4-7.5 pg/kg, respectively. During production, protein and fat contents of the soft, white cheese showed three-to six-fold and three-to four-fold increases, respectively. ZusammenfassungEinfluB von Temperatur, Bearbeitungszeit und pH-Wert auf Mikroflora, Aflatoxingehalt und Lagerfahigkeit von ,,Wara", einem weichen WeiBkase Bei Anwendung von rohen Koagulantien aus dem ,,sodom apple" Caforropis procera, ProzeDbedingungen von 65 -85 "C fur 40 -65 min und reduziertem pH-Wert wird in dem lokal produzierten weichen Weirjkase ,,Wara" eine verminderte mikrobielle Population festgestellt. Das Endprodukt ,,Wara" ist unter normalen Umgebungsbedingungen (rel. Luftfeuchte 75 5%, Temperatur 26 _+ 2 "C) nicht gut lagerfahig. An einigen ausgewahlten, kritischen Kontrollpunkten wahrend der ProzeDzeit werden Bacillus ssp., Coliforme, Staphylokokken und die Schimmelpilze Aspergillus und Mucor ssp. isoliert. Die Gehalte an Aflatoxin B, (AFB,) und Aflatoxin M, (AFM,) der gepruften Proben liegen im Bereich von 4,8 -$3 pg/kg bzw. 6,4-7,5 pg/kg. Wahrend der Herstellung des weichen WeiBkases erhohen sich die Protein-und Fettgehalte auf 3-bis 6fache bzw. auf 3-bis 4fache Werte.

During the production of 'tuwo' from laboratory-contaminated corn (AFB1:150 mcg/kg) and sorghum (AFB1:87.5 mcg/kg) grains, reductions in the aflatoxin-B1 levels of pastes boiled for 30 min and 60 min were found to be 68.0% and 80.8%, respectively. In the preparation of 'ogi' from contaminated corn and sorghum grains, reductions of about 72.5% and 71.4%, respectively, were obtained after fermentation at ambient conditions. Reconstitution of 'ogi' paste into a porridge (akamu) considerably reduced the AFB level.

Drugs that are largely restricted to the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) for their therapeutic efficacy and that are not substantially absorbed into the body are usually inadequately studied in terms of systemic bioavailability. The possibility of systemic effects requires that bioavailabilities be studied to ensure against enhanced toxicity resulting from formulation differences. Pyrantel pamoate falls into this category. High-performance liquid chromatography was employed in this study to determine plasma levels of pyrantel in nine healthy human subjects after administration of tablet and suspension dosage forms. Mean peak plasma concentrations of 37.56 +/- 9.37, 35.89 +/- 8.94, and 36.22 +/- 10.10 ng mL-1 were obtained following administration of 750 mg pyrantel pamoate in three different formulations. The mean tmax values were 2.02 +/- 0.12, 2.05 +/- 0.356, and 2.05 +/- 0.339 h respectively for the above dosage forms; the respective AUC0-9 values were 81.01 +/- 12.97, 94.59 +/- 17.18, and 101.47 +/- 19.59 h ng mL-1. There was no statistically significant difference between the bioavailabilities of the dosage forms tested. Large inter-subject variations were observed. One subject experienced abdominal discomfort and one experienced dizziness. It was not possible to clearly correlate individual variations in absorption with the observed adverse effect because the number of incidents was low (two out of 27 treatments).

Sodium metabisulphite and hydrogen peroxide alone or in combination with heat (50-70 degrees C) were found to be effective in degrading aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in lafun and gari. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at a concentration of 3% in the aqueous phase gave a 12.5% degradation of aflatoxin B1 in lafun and at 50 degrees C, degradation levels of 25% and 50% were obtained with 6.0 and 9.0% H2O2, respectively. When sodium metabisulphite was applied during the production of gari (a fermented cassava product heated to 50-70 degrees C during production) AFB1 degradation levels were found to be 65.8%, 60.9%, 41.5% and 36.6%, respectively, for sodium metabisulphite levels of 1.0%, 0.8%, 0.5% and 0.3%.