The aim of this research was to evaluate the fungal and aflatoxin content of smoke dried catfish and African bush mango seeds obtained from selected processing zones in Benue State, Nigeria. Thirty two smoke dried catfish samples and forty eight African bush mango seed samples were collected from different markets in Makurdi, Katsina-Ala, Ogbadibo, Kwande and Vandeikya. These were analyzed for fungal load, fungi species and aflatoxin contamination using standard microbiological methods and ELISA technique for aflatoxin determination. The results revealed the presence of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Clasdosporium spp, Penicillium spp, Mucorspp and Fusarium spp isolated from both smoke dried catfish and African bush mango seeds; also Rhizopus spp and Saccharomyces spp from bush mango seeds. Fungal count of smoke dried catfish from Makurdi ranged from 3.28 to 4.61 logCFU/ml while that of Katsina-Ala ranged from 4.26 to 4.98 log CFU/ml. The fungal count of African bush mango seeds ranged from 3.62 to 3.94 log CFU/ml (Kwande), 3.61 to 4.93 log CFU/ml (Makurdi), 3.61 to 4.85 log CFU/ml (Ogbadibo) and 4.08 to 4.89 logCFU/ml (Vandeikya). The aflatoxin concentration in the smoke dried catfish samples ranged from 4.10 to 15.00 ppb for samples from Makurdi and 2.05 to 7.45 ppb for samples from Katsina-Ala, while that of African bush mango seeds ranged from 1.75 to 3.25 ppb (Kwande), 0.00 to 1.50 ppb (Makurdi), 1.08 to 8.10 ppb (Ogbadibo) and 0.00 to 1.65 ppb (Vandeikya). Both the smoke dried catfish and African bush mango seeds had aflatoxin levels below the maximum acceptable limit of 20ppb by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control which can be considered safe, but hygienic measures must be maintained in handling such foods and better drying and preservation techniques applied in order to lower the incidence of fungi growth and aflatoxin contamination.

Wine was produced from must formulated by blending roselle calyces extract with pineapple juice at different ratios (v/v): A (100:0), B(90:10), C(80:20), D(70:30), E(60:40) and F(50:50). The must was pitched with Saccharomyces cerevisiae; primary and secondary fermentation lasted for five and three days, respectively, during which aliquot samples analyses of pH, titratable acidity, specific gravity, total soluble solids and alcohol were carried out daily using standard procedures.Wine was aged for 31 days. The pH of the must decreased during the period of fermentation with a range of 3.30 to 4.37. Specific gravity and total soluble solids were observed to reduce drastically as fermentation progressed. During the fermentation period, consistent increase in titratable acidity and alcohol was observed with time. At the end of fermentation (8th day), alcohol content ranged from 10.19 to 12.23% with sample B and C having the highest values. Vitamin C analyses carried out on the wines had values ranging from 2.50 to 8.40g/100mL. Wines had volatile acid values range of 0.06 to 0.13g/100mL which was within acceptable limits. Sensory evaluation on a 9-point hedonic scale carried out on the aged wine indicated that all samples were accepted except sample F which had scores below average. Sample B was rated highest in terms of overall acceptability with value of 7.41±1.06. The result of this study showed that acceptable wines can be produced from blends of roselle hot water extract and pineapple juice.

Wine was produced from must formulated by mixing roselle calyces hot water extract with pineapple juice at ratios of 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50 for A, B, C, D, E and F respectively. Must were pitched with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, fermented at room temperature for 8 days followed by racking, pasteurization and ageing at room temperature for 31 days. The antioxidant capacity, mineral content and microbiological analyses were carried out on the musts and wine samples using standard procedures. There was a significant (p<0.05) difference between must and wines as fermentation was observed to increase its antioxidant capacity (2, 2-diphenyl -1- picrylhydrazylradical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant properties, trolox equivalent antioxidant properties and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity). Fermentation decreased the mineral contents (manganese, zinc and magnesium) of wines except for sodium that increased significantly. Values ranged from 3.81 – 7.77 mg/L for Manganese, 162.38 – 166.66 mg/L for sodium, 2.71 – 4.71 mg/L for zinc and 35.45 – 40.67 mg/L for magnesium. Microbial count was done at different stages of production and there was no detectable growth on cultured wine samples. The result of this study showed that wines of nutritionally high quality can be produced from blends of roselle hot water extract and pineapple juice.