Studies were carried out to determine the occurrence of storage fungi and their respective mycotoxin in stored smoked dried fishes. A total of 45 fishes were bought fresh, smoked and stored under three different storage conditions (an air tight container, a bamboo basket and an iron basket). Using the pour plate method, isolation and identification of storage fungi were carried out weekly for four consecutive weeks from each storage container. Mycotoxin detection and quantification were also carried out on each stored smoked fish samples using Agra-Quant kit. The proximate analysis of the stored fish samples prior to storage, and after storage from each storage container was also analysed. Results revealed five fungal isolates associated with the stored samples namely: Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. wentii and Penicillium species. Four species of Aspergillus and one Penicillium species were isolated and identified from two of three storage condition used (bamboo basket and iron basket) from third week of storage. It was deduced from the mycotoxins analysis results that Aflatoxin B1 and Ochratoxin were present in the stored smoked samples of the two above mentioned storage containers. Results from the proximate compositions revealed a decrease in the ash content, crude fiber and crude protein as the storage period increases. Fat and moisture content of the stored fish samples were observed to increases weekly throughout the storage period in bamboo basket and an iron basket. In conclusion, it can be deduced that storage container play a vital role in the preservation/shelf -life of smoked dried fish.

ABSTRACT:This st udy i nv estigat ed the eff ect of diff erent drying met hods (S un dry; Shade dr y, 40⁰C Oven dry and 60⁰C Ov en dr y r espec tivel y) on the antimicrobial ac tivities of leaves extrac ts of Borreria verticillat a, C assi a al at a and Commelina diff usa. Using disc diffusi on agar method, the antimicrobial ass ay of the methanol and aqueous extr acts of e ach plant leav es at differ ent drying m ethods wer e carried out . T he res ults from t he st ud y revealed that dr ying met hods aff ect the effic ac y of the tes ted medicinal plants b y influenci ng t he quantit y and q ualit y of the bioactiv e constit uents present i n the p lants. It was c oncl uded from the s tud y t hat aqueous methanolic crude l eav es extract dried vi a shad e-dry and 40 0 C oven dr y methods is most eff ectiv e s o, t he us ed drying methods are s uit able t o employ f or processi ng plants for us e. This was prov ed as thes e (s had e-dry and 40⁰C) methods retai ned m ost of the bioactiv e c onstituents of t he plants t hereb y inhibited t he growt h of t he t est ed microbes .

Fusarium wilt is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. elaeidis , and constitutes a severe threat to the oil palm industry in Africa. This study is aimed at surveying, identifying the secreted effector genes responsible for virulence during pathogenesis, and investigating the level of genetic diversity and cluster resolutions of alleles accountable for virulence in pathogenic strains of F. oxysporum f.sp. elaeidis from African countries. Fifty-eight fungal strains were isolated from acute and chronic Fusarium wilt diseased oil palms in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon. Morphological and sequencing analysis of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region grouped all strains into nine dominant strains with a majority (41.37%) belonging to F. oxysporum , followed by F. solani (20.68%), F. equiseti (20.68%), F. verticilliodes (5.17%), F. proliferatum (3.44%), F. chlamydosporum (3.44%), F. nelsonii (1.72%), Fomes fomentarius , and Penicillium simplicissimum (1.72%). Disease incidence and severity showed varying levels of virulence with some Fusarium strains causing severe symptoms while others exhibited slight symptoms. ISSR evaluation disclosed a considerable level of genetic diversity among pathogenic F. oxysporum f.sp. elaeidis strains. Molecular characterization using defense gene primers revealed that the oil palm genotypes screened did not amplify defense genes. During pathogenesis, Fusarium strains produced GMC oxidoreductases, hypothetical proteins, FOIG 16629, FOXG 14258 , and Pyranose dehydrogenase 3-like proteins using virulent effector gene primers. Polymerase Chain Reaction analysis using specific gene primers revealed that PRK02106, beta and BetA effector genes were secreted explicitly by F. oxysporum f.sp. elaeidis (4) and F. oxysporum f.sp. elaeidis (CRT) strains while screening tolerant oil palm genotypes. During screening susceptible oil palm genotypes, F. oxysporum f.sp. elaeidis (4) and F. oxysporum f.sp. elaeidis (CRT) strains produced FGGY_L-XK1, PRK10939, FGGY_N1, XylB1, XylB2, FGGY_L-XK2, XylB3, FGGY_N2 , and XylB4 effector genes. Identifying these effector genes will provide the platform to study the basis of pathogenesis which will help breeders to modify breeding techniques for the improvement of oil palm genotypes in order to reduce oil palm loss in plantations and enhance food security.

Samples of Shea butter were randomly collected from five local markets from four different states in Nigeria. Isolation and identification of microbial contaminants (Bacteria and Fungi) were carried out as well as the analysis of some physical and chemical parameters. Results from this study reveal the presence of five fungal and three bacterial species as contaminants. The isolated fungi include: Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium species, Mucor species and Trichoderma species. Citrobacter freundii, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the bacteria established in the study. Differences were also noted in the colour, refractive index and the viscosity of the shea butters sampled. A great significant differences was also observed in the peroxide (2.0 -8.60 meq/kg), saponification (29.21 -47.48 mgKOH/g), iodine (4.31 -13.20 I g/100g) and the fatty acid (27.50 -2 88.83 mgKOH/kg) values respectively. It was deduced from this study that hawked Vitelleria paradoxa (Shea butter) in our local markets are heavily contaminated with microbes (fungi and bacteria) and this may be detrimental to the health of the users especially those with wounds on their skin. Keywords:Microbial contaminant, shea butter, local market, physicochemical parameters ABSTRACT 333

ABSTRACT:Dermatophytes being animal and human pathogenic fungi infect some human at one point or the other in their lifetime. For effective control of dermatophytes, accurate identification of the specific species/strain involved must be known. Stocks from pathogenic fungi isolated from infected areas on different patients, around Lagos-Nigeria were analysed using molecular methods (DNA extraction, PCR-RFLP and DNA sequencing). Four DNA extraction protocols were employed in the identification of the fungal isolates. Sixteen different fungal isolates were identified, and based on the molecular data these were classified into six species of dermatophytes belonging to the genera Microsporum, Trichophyton and Epidermaphyton, two species of systemic mycoses fungi and eight opportunistic human pathogenic fungi. The results also revealed that CTAB protocol, Modified CTAB protocol and the GNOME kit used in this work were only able to extract non-dermatophytes DNA. Only the Zymo DNA kit was able to isolate dermatophytes DNA. DNA extraction which is the first step in all molecular studies showed that one DNA extraction method might not be able to extract all fungal DNA for proper identification, diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections. © JASEM https://dx