The effects of processing by autoclaving (AC), soaking (SK), short-term fermentation (S-TF, 4 d) and long-term fermentation (L-TF, 14 d) on the nutritional composition, amino acid profile and some antinutrients were determined for cottonseed meal (CSM), groundnut meal (GNM) and groundnut husk (GH) in this study. After processing, crude protein content improved by 11% after L-TF, and crude lipid content 25% after SK for CSM; crude protein content improved by 27% after S-TF and L-TF, and crude lipid content 13% after SK for GNM. Soaking and fermentation were shown to significantly increase essential amino acid contents by 44% (SK, methionine) in CSM and 46% in GNM (L-TF, histidine). Phosphorus content was reduced by 59% in CSM and 57% in GNM by L-TF. All processing techniques, with the exception of AC, reduced phytic acid and gossypol contents in CSM and GNM. It was concluded that SK and fermentation were simple, cost-effective, and efficient ways to improve the nutritional value of the selected oilseed by-products.

This study was conducted to determine the nutritional (proximate and energy) composition of selected shea nut by-products (SNPs) namely; shea nut meal (SNM, solvent extracted), shea nut cake (SNC, mechanically extracted) and shea nut cake (SNCW, water extracted) and their apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) by Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. The ADC was determined using a reference diet with chromic oxide indicator and test diets that contained 70% reference diet and 30% of SNPs being evaluated. Nile tilapia (26.89 ± 3.19 g) was stocked in rearing tanks at 12 per tank and their faeces was collected from two replicate groups of fish by siphoning. Crude protein (CP), crude lipid (CL), crude fibre (CF) and gross energy (GE) of SNM,

Food emulsions are thermodynamically unstable mixtures which can be stabilized with the application of an emulsifier. In Ghana emulsifiers are imported, and this increases the final cost of food emulsions. In this study, gums obtained from three tree plant species in Ghana, i.e. Albizia zygia (Albizia), Khaya senegalensis (Khaya), and Anarcardium occidentale (Cashew), were used to stabilize oil-in-water emulsion, and the stability of the emulsions were measured after centrifugation at 1300 x g for 5 min, and upon pH adjustment (from 2 to 3.5). Quantity of gum (mass), solubility of gum in the continuous phase, viscosity, oil volume fraction, and pH were investigated to determine how they affect emulsion stability.The results indicated with the exception of viscosity, emulsion stability is influenced by all the other factors studied. In addition there was no significant difference (P<0.05) between the emulsion stabilities of food emulsions stabilized by gums of Cashew (0.77-0.86) and Acacia (0.78-0.87). The Pearson’s co-efficient of correlation indicated that the emulsion stability values of the emulsions positively correlated with the solubility of the gums (R2 =0.983 at P<0.05, and0.997 at P<0.01). Although there were no significant differences in the emulsion stability values of emulsions stabilized with Albizia and Khaya gums, both recorded significantly lower (P<0.05) emulsion stability values (0.76-0.85 and 0.75-0.81 respectively) than the Acacia gum (control). The Cashew gum has the potential to be utilized as an emulsifier in the food industry. Keywords: Emulsion, Emulsifier, Acacia gum, Oil-in-water Emulsion, Emulsion stability

Lake Bosomtwe has been subjected to anthropogenic perturbations that provide different scales of environmental stimuli in response to seasonal variation. This situation can overwhelm the capacity of lake to mitigate the impact on the water quality. Knowledge of seasonality will enhance the predictability of the water quality trends to advance management of the lake. The seasonal pattern of levels of physicochemical and nutrient parameters was examined, from March 2018 to February 2020, using the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index model. Temperature, pH, alkalinity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, total hardness, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrate, phosphate, sulphate, iron, lead, and zinc were studies. The results showed a decline in water quality from ‘fair’ status in the pre-rainy (65.7%) and rainy (67.2%) seasons through ‘marginal’ in the pre-dry seasons (46.5%) to poor in the dry seasons (44%). The lake is therefore losing its natural protection to the extent of occasional for the pre-rainy and rainy seasons, frequently for pre-dry seasons, and almost all the time for dry season, the period of low lake water volume and availability and hence high dependence. Thus, the threat of human and ecological health hazard associated with aquatic pollution is ordered by seasonality; being heightened in the dry season with alkalinity, sulphate, iron, temperature, total suspended solids and turbidity as the parameters of more concern. This provides adequate ground for a call for elaborate and systematic plan of action to manage the lake for sustainability.

The suitability of the Fanoma River, a source of water used by the Sefwi Akontombra communities in the Western North Region of Ghana for drinking and agriculture, has been a concern since the quality status of the river is perceived as polluted, making it unsuitable for these designated uses. This gives credence to curiosity for research on the quality status of the river. The community’s awareness and understanding of issues related to anthropogenic perturbation and river health could be an important factor influencing the phenomenon. To address these problems, we assessed the physico-chemical, heavy metal, and bacteriological qualities of the river using the APHA protocols and also conducted a questionnaire survey of environmental awareness of the inhabitants, for management consideration. Results showed higher concentrations of phosphate (46.34 mg/L) nitrate (1.08 mg/L) than the WHO Guideline values. This resulted in high levels of BOD (56.17 mg/L) and COD (259.74 mg/L) that strip river water of dissolved oxygen (4.75 mg/L) through microbial degradation. High turbidity (15.78 mg/L), Fe (1.22 mg/L) and Cd (0.01 mg/L) resulted in high electrical conductivity (1608.76 μS/cm) and together with high TSS has imparted intense colour (63.86 mg/L) to the river. These suggest that the river is not suitable for the intended purposes, a situation attributable to a low level of education by the community and a misconception about issues related to river pollution. Collaborative stakeholder action through the design and implementation of education programmes is crucial to averting the phenomenon of pollution and conserving the river.