Background: This study evaluated the antimicrobial potentials of Citrus essential oils (CEOs) against spoilage microorganisms isolated from selected fruits. The fruits were randomly purchased from different markets in Akure, Nigeria. Methods: The microorganisms were isolated and identified using molecular tools. In vitro antimicrobial efficacies of CEOs and their synergistic potentials were tested against spoilage microorganisms using agar well diffusion. The bioactive compounds in CEOs were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results: The highest bacterial count (5.84 × 10 5 cfu/g) was recorded in tomatoes, while African star apple had the highest fungal count of 3.04 × 10 5 sfu/g. Microorganisms isolated from fruits were Bacillus spp., Micrococcus luteus, Serratia marcescens, Aspergillus spp., Mucor piriformis, Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium spp., Rhizopus spp., Alternaria alternata and others. Phytochemicals in the CEOs were anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, tannins, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, steroids, flavonoids and phenol. The diameter zones of inhibition displayed by CEOs against tested microorganisms at 100 mg/ml ranged from 3.3 mm to 26.8 mm with B. muralis being the most susceptible bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against all the tested isolates ranged from 12.5 to 100 mg/ml, while the minimum bactericidal and fungicidal concentrations ranged from 25 to ≥ 100 mg/ml. The synergism between lime and lemon at ratio 1:1 had better antimicrobial activity than each essential oil when used singly. GC-MS revealed the presence of limonene, beta-pinene, alpha-phellandrene, terpinen-4-ol, alpha-terpineol and geraniol in EOs of lime and lemon. Conclusion: The inhibitory potential of CEOs could be attributed to their bioactive compounds, which can be exploited and used as preservatives by food industries.

Background The frequent incidence of fungal infection and widespread of antibiotic resistance are emergent concerns in public health. Hence, there is a need to harness the potential of natural bioactive compounds from plant towards treatment of fungal infection. Combination effect of antibiotic creams with natural products from plants is prospective strategy to produce new antifungal agent. This study therefore, revealed antifungal effect of combined Antifungal Creams (AFCs) with Turmeric Essential Oil (TEO) or Aloe vera Gel (AVG). Methods Phytochemicals and bioactive compounds in TEO and AVG were revealed using GC-MS. Bioactive compounds in plant extracts were compared to known compounds in database library of National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S.). Antifungal activity and synergistic effect of AFCs with TEO or AVG were carried out using agar well diffusion method. Results Phenol, flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides were present in TEO and AVG. GCMS revealed thirty-six (36) and eighteen (18) bioactive compounds in TEO and AVG, respectively. AFCs displayed zones of inhibition with values ranged from 5.0 to 14.3 mm, TEO was 5.0 to 11.0 mm and AVG was 8.0 to 11.7 mm against tested fungi. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) by AFCs, TEO and AVG ranged from 1.25 to 10.0 mg/ml. Combinatory effects of AFCs with TEO or AVG revealed synergistic and indifferent properties. Conclusion Development of novel products using bioactive ingredients from plants with commercially available AFCs will serve as potential alternative therapy to cure dermatological infections with no side effects.

The therapeutic properties of Goya extra virgin olive oil in albino rats orogastrically dosed with Salmonella Typhi were accessed in this study. Both the in- vivo and in- vitro assays were used in assessing the antimicrobial activity of Goya extra virgin olive oil. Thirteen microorganisms including eight bacteria and five fungi were used in the in- vitro bioassay. Comparison of the antimicrobial efficacy of olive oil and commercial antibiotics revealed ofloxacin, gentamicin as well as the olive oil to be potent against the test organisms. The in- vivo bioassay were carried out using twenty albino rats randomly assigned into four study groups of five rats per group. The groups orogastricallly dosed with Salmonella typhi revealed that the animals showed depressed activity and weakness such as slow movement, anorexia, falling fur and rough hair coat, light soft faeces, ocular discharge and loss of weight. Following separate treatments of the rats with antibiotic (Ofloxacin) as well as Olive oil, all the characteristic symptoms of the disease decreased with time. The treated animals gained more appetite for food and water as evidenced by an increase in their weight. The average weights gained by the rats treated with Goya extra virgin olive oil were found to be higher than the weights of the untreated animals. Thus, revealing that Goya extra virgin olive oil has an antibacterial effect as does, antibiotics in the treatment of S. typhi induced disease. The control group had a fairly constant colonial count per gram (106cfu/g) of animal faeces which ranged from 1.52 ± 0.01 to 1.70 ± 0.01. There was a sharp decrease in the bacterial colony count of the faeces of the animals treated with antibiotic from 3.22 ± 0.06 to 1.70 ± 0.01 when compared to those fed with olive oil which decreased from 3.00 ± 0.00 to 2.9 ± 0.03. This confirms that the elimination rate of the bacteria in the host is as a result of the antibacterial activity of the olive oil and the antibiotics respectively. Olive oil is a natural antimicrobial and a non- toxic immune modulator, it is an amazing health building supplement which stimulates the immune system to fight against infection. Hence, results from this study have justified the use of olive oil as a natural antimicrobial and a non- toxic immune modulator (since the total phenol content present in Goya extra virgin olive oil was shown to be 14.90). Phenols are the major groups of compounds revealed to contribute to the observed inhibitory effect of olive oil. Also, the result of the mineral analysis of the Goya extra virgin olive oil showed Goya extra virgin olive oil not to have any traces of lead. Presence of lead may lead to poisoning and can cause a number of adverse human health effect. Hence, Olive oil has a significant non- toxic health building supplements which has a therapeutic effect on Salmonella typhi induced infection.

This research produced wine from unripe plantain fruits using spontaneous fermentation method. The period of production was five days. The purpose of this study was to isolate and identify microorganisms associated with unripe plantain fruits, determine the physicochemical parameters of the fermenting medium. Microbial count, foaming density, alcohol content, enzymes assay, sensory analysis, physicochemical properties, mineral content, antioxidants properties, and antinutrient content of the sample were investigated every 24 h for 5 days. A total of seven bacteria and four fungi consisting of yeasts and moulds were isolated during the study. The microbial loads of bacteria and fungi of the unfermented plantain fruits were 8.0 × 106 ± 0.01 cfu/mL and 14.2 × 104 ± 0.01 sfu/mL respectively. The temperature (ºC), pH and titratable acidity (%) ranged from 25.55-32.50, 4.51-5.50 and 0.99-3.50 respectively. The sample was observed to be colourless all through the fermentation periods. Turbidity of the samples increased during fermentation from 43.50 to 111.00. The data obtained from this work has shown the importance of unripe plantain micro-flora in the production of “Agadagidi”. It is also concluded that consortium of microorganisms inherent within the plantain fruits are involved in plantain fruits fermentation. This information can contribute to a better understanding of the “Agadagidi” production process for a consistent quality beverage.

This research investigated effects of fermentation and extrusion on unripe plantain and pigeon pea blends. The samples were blended and prepared in three combinations (A=100g unripe plantain; B= 70g unripe plantain: 30g pigeon pea; C= 50g unripe plantain: 50g pigeon pea) and sectioned into four group (i.e. group 1 = preconditioned and fermented; group 2 = extruded; group three = fermented and extruded; and group 4 = unfermented/unextruded). Semi-solid state fermentation method was employed to ferment the blended samples for 96 hours. The physicochemical parameters (i.e pH, temperature and total titratable acidity) of these fermented samples were evaluated. The total microbial counts include; 9 bacteria, 2 yeasts and 4 molds were isolated and identified as; Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus fermentum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus mali, Streptococcus lactis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida utilis, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus candidus, and Mucor hiemalis. There were significant variations in the values of pH and total titratable acidity (TTA) during fermentation. This was also same for the proximate contents of the fermented and extruded flour blends when contrasted with the raw flour blends. The fermented unextruded group 1 (11.73±0.01%) has the highest moisture contents and least in the raw sample B (6.34±0.00%). The raw flour blends protein content increased from 2.57±0.03 to 10.17±0.00% and from 2.58±0.02 to 16.27±0.01% in the fermented extruded blends. The carbohydrate content in the raw flour blends was highest (67.97±0.02 to 74.32±0.00%) and least in fermented unextruded samples (38.28±0.01 to 62.72±0.01%). The fat content was highest in the fermented unextruded blends (2.52±0.01 to 6.33±0.00%) and least in raw blends (1.33±0.02 to 2.01±0.02%). The sensory evaluation of the samples showed a good preference for fermented-extruded samples. Findings from this research have established that fermented and extruded unripe plantain and pigeon pea blend enhanced nutritional value of food.