No abstract

Biochemical changes during fermentation of seeds of Prosopis africana for production of ogiri-okpei, a food condiment popular among people of West Africa were studied. Fermentation resulted in a net increase in concentrations of total soluble sugars and free amino acids, both reaching a peak after 72 h of fermentation but declining thereafter. Corresponding increases were observed in amylase and protease activities, respectively. Lipase activity was observed to be very strong, increasing throughout the duration of fermentation. Analyses of amino and fatty acid composition using an amino acid analyzer and gas liquid chromatography, respectively, revealed a wide variety of amino acids including glutamine > cystine > arginine and the fatty acids stearic > Arachidic > linolenic > linoleic in the unfermented seed in the highest concentrations. Fluctuations in the concentrations of these compounds were observed during the fermentation. At the end of 96 h fermentation, glutamine > cystine > lysine and an unidentified fatty acid > arachidic > linolenic acids were found in the highest concentrations. Marked increases in composition with increasing period of fermentation were observed for Ca, P, K, Mn, and Z. Transformations of amino acids, fatty acids, and minerals during the fermentation of this seed revealed during this study will contribute towards the development of an industrial process for ogiri-okpei as well as an understanding of its contribution to the nutrition of its consumers.

No abstract

Some properties of an Enterobacter sp. isolated from the roots of maize are described. Isolation was carried out using the semisolid enrichment culture technique and subsequent plating, both on nitrogen free biotin medium. Morphological, biochemical and phylogenetic characterization using the MicroSeq  16S rDNA technique were employed in identification of isolate, which was revealed to be closest matched at 99.4% with Enterobacter asburiae. The isolate possessed properties of plant growth promoting bacteria. Thus, it produced indole-3-acetic, plant polymer hydrolyzing enzymes, pectinase and cellulase as well as ammonia in vitro. The isolate grew well in the presence of both 3% NaCl and 10 µg of streptomycin. In plate bioassays, isolate promoted the germination of both maize and rice seeds as well as root and lateral root growth resulting in weight increases of seedlings over their controls. Experiments to quantify ability of isolate to promote plant growth was performed using hydroponics solutions and as appropriate, an inoculum of the isolate. Pot experiments were also employed. Results from these studies showed that isolate enhanced nitrogen accumulation and significantly (P < 0.05), improved the growth of maze seedlings over controls. Isolate has potential for utilizetion as inocula for sustainable production of cereals.

Edible snails are usually obtained from the forest and in high demand among consumers. Data on the level of contamination of edible snails with bacterial pathogens are needed for making legislations that will improve food safety and protect public health. This study aimed to determine the occurrence and distribution of counts of selected bacterial pathogens in Achatina achatina from major markets within South East Nigeria. A total of 300 samples of A. achatina were examined for occurrence and counts of Citrobacter, Shigella, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus, Aeromonas and Bacillus cereus using enrichment broth, differential and selective media. Snail samples from Ogbete market had the highest mean aerobic plate count (9.32 ± 0.308 Log CFU/g), while Abakaliki market samples had highest mean count of coliforms (7.63 ± 0.389 Log CFU/g). Among pathogens, highest counts were observed for Citrobacter and E. coli which ranged from 6.0 to 8.0 Log CFU/g in 300 (100%) and 180 (60%) samples respectively. Significant differences were observed among the locations (p < 0.01). Our findings highlight the need for formulation and implementation of strategies for the reduction of bacterial pathogens in edible snails along the value chain.