Potentials in vegetable oils and various nutrients of eighteen varieties of Niger Cucurbitaceae

Abstract

Citrullus Colocynthis and Lagenaria siceraria are two species of Cucurbitaceae whose seeds are used for the production of dough, cakes and edible oils in Niger. Yield in seeds of 18 varieties belonging to these two species were assessed on the Faculty experimental field. The average berries production was 17 berries per plant the first year in contrast 6 the second year. The best productivity was achieved with Citrullus colocynthis which gave 82 berries per plant the 1 st year. The average yield in seeds was 180.15 kg/ha the first year and 704.30 kg/ha the second year. The determination of the physicochemical characteristics showed water, ashes, fat, and protein contents which vary respectively from 7 to 9.50%, 4.13 to 4.84%, 18 to 47% and 11 to 35%. The yield in seeds oil varied from 13.7 to 134 L per ha in the first year and 0.26 liters to 800 L per ha the 2nd year. These are the first studies on Cucurbitaceae which link agronomic and physicochemical characteristics of seeds. They showed very important nutrient contents and oil yield, and even higher than some conventional oilseeds. Extraction of oils from these seeds could meet the need of the populations.

Evaluation of the Microbiological Quality of Three Varieties of Kilichi Produced in Niger

“…The average loads of total coliforms obtained in this study are of the order of 2,88 10 6 CFU/g , 3,60 10 6 CFU/g and 7,06 10 6 CFU/g and in faecal coliforms around 3,52 10 6 UFC/g, 2,11 10 5 UFC/g and 1,17 10 6 UFC/g respectively for simple kilichi, « Fari » kilichi and « Ja » kilichi. These results confirm the studies made by [4] where the coliform levels (total and faecal) are higher than the Nigerien standards for the traditional method [4]. Thus, in Cameroon [6] high coliform loads were reported and were in the, order of 1.00 10 5 UFC/g for unspiced.…”

“…These microbial loads would be related to the drying of kilichi which is done in the open air thereby exposing the product to various contaminations in the atmosphere. A study carried out by [4] evaluated the microbiological quality of three kilichi variants produced using the traditional and modern methods. The number of sprouts obtained for the modern method where drying was carried out using a closed solar dryer is significantly lower than the number of germs obtained for the traditional method where drying was done in the open air.…”

“…In Niger, it's manufacture is an artisanal activity commonly practiced by butchers [2,3]. Processing of meat into kilichi is an economic activity carried out by meat professionals throughout the national territory, in both rural and urban areas [4]. Its consumption seems does not age, religious or ethnic barriers [2].…”

“…In addition, kilichi production is a successful technology that is the pride and even an identity of Nigeriens internationally and is part of the national heritage [4]. It has been produced throughout the national territory for several decades.…”

“…They provide an ideal environment for microbial growth and sensory deterioration of the food [5]. In the subregion, numerous studies have highlighted the presence of many microorganisms in kilichi; these include [6,7,8] in Cameroon; [5,8,9] in Nigeria, [4,10] in Niger. These studies conducted in Niger were carried out in the Niamey region.…”