Genetic structure of indigenous sheep breeds in Nigeria based on electrophoretic polymorphous systems of transferrin and haemoglobin
March 2018
The study used 100 indigenous sheep comprising 25 Balami, 25 Uda, 25 Yankassa and 25 West African Dwarf breeds reared extensively. The blood samples were taken from Vena Jugularis, processed according to standard procedure and transferrin and haemoglobin examined using cellulose acetate electrophoresis. The observed allele frequencies and genotypes (%) were tested with Hardy-Weinberg’s Equilibrium (χ2). Seven...
Technical review of molecular markers and next-generation sequencing technology to manage plant pathogenic oomycetes
March 2018
To feed the world human population which is expected to reach 10 billion in the next three decades, agricultural sustainability is required for stable food production. However, crops always suffer from many biotic and abiotic stresses. Among them, plant pathogens often cause severe yield losses. Plant pathogenic oomycetes are one of the most destructive plant diseases, which include Phytophthora infestans in potato and...
Physico-chemical and bacteriological characterization of sachet water sold in Yaounde City, Cameroon
March 2018
The objective of this study is to take an inventory of all the sachet water brands sold in Yaounde and to assess their sanitary quality. This study was carried out on 100 samples, representing 20 sachet water brands sold in the urban city of Yaounde, Cameroon. Selected physico-chemical and bacteriological analyses of the sachet water were done. The results showed that their pH values and nitrate level were in line...
Toxicity of powdered and ethanolic extracts of Uvaria chamae (Annonaceae) Bark on selected stored product insect pests
March 2018
A study was carried out on the insecticidal effects of the powdered stem bark extract of Uvaria chamae and its ethanolic extract on three most devastating stored products pests (Coleopterous) in Nigeria, namely: Callosobruchus maculatus F. (Bruchidae), Rhizopertha dominica F. (Bostrichidae) and Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Curculionidae). Graded concentrations of each formulation of the powdered bark and ethanolic...
Thermal, physical and chemical analysis of Eisenia andrei flour for supplementary diet
March 2018
The search for sources of animal feed has been well-regarded for farmers. In spite of this, the objective of this study was to show the thermal, physical and chemical properties of earthworms flour from Eisenia andrei for supplementary food for animals. The species was studied by simultaneous thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, combustion calorimetry, moisture, ash, fat, protein, carbohydrate...
Chemical composition of Citrus limon (Eureka variety) essential oil and evaluation of its antioxidant and antibacterial activities
March 2018
The study evaluates the chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial effects properties of essential oil of Citrus limon (Eureka) extracted by hydrodistillation. The composition of this oil was analysed by GC/MS for 30 constituents, which accounted for 97.8% of total oil. The main components were limonene (61.3%) followed by β-pinene (9.7%), α-citral (4.2%) and α-terpinene (3.8%). Antioxidant...
Impact of clarification process on the nutritional, mineral and vitamin composition of cashew (Anacardium occidentale) apple juice
March 2018
This study investigates the impact of clarification process on the nutritional, mineral and vitamin composition of the cashew apple juice. The proximate composition in percentage for moisture, dry matter, ash, crude fibre, ether extract, crude protein and carbohydrate were determined in line with the recommended methods of Association of Official Analytical Chemist (AOAC), and vitamin profile was analysed using Gas...
Agronomic evaluation and web blight resilience of common bean genotypes in the littoral region of Ecuador
March 2018
Common bean is very important in the daily diet of Ecuadorians. Web blight (Rhizoctonia solani (Kuhn) is the major constraint faced by common bean farmers in Ecuador and everywhere in the world, causing high losses of yield grain every year. A constant selection of genotypes with excellent productive and resilience to disease features in each region is presented as a potential solution to these problems. The present...
Production of rice cereal-based Kefir beverage
March 2018
The aim of the present research was to evaluate the use of the sugary Kefir grains as a starter culture for new rice cereal-based Kefir beverage. Fermentation was performed by inoculating Kefir grains in rice extract. Flasks containing Kefir grains and substrates were statically incubated at 28°C for 24 h. The microbiota of sugary Kefir grains and rice cereal-based Kefir beverage were genera Lactobacillus,...
Antioxidant, antimicrobial and antifeedant activity of phenolic compounds accumulated in Hyoscyamus muticus L.
March 2018
Hyoscyamus muticus is an endangered desert plant spread in the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East deserts. The methanol extract of the aerial parts of H. muticus grown in the arid zones in the Northern regions of Saudi Arabia were subjected to primary phytochemical analysis which revealed the presence of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins and sterols, the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of...
Food additives and their health effects: A review on preservative sodium benzoate
March 2018
Food additives are widely used by the food industry to increase the product shelf life and/or attribute as well as enhance certain characteristics of particular foods, which are often lost during processing. With the advent of modern life, more and more additives have been employed by the food industry. Despite their wide use, they are substances that may cause adverse reactions like any other drug. This study aimed to...
Maximizing L-glutaminase production from marine Bacillus subtilis JK-79 under solid state fermentation
February 2018
L-Glutaminase is majorly produced by microorganism including bacteria, yeast and fungi. It mainly catalyzes the hydrolysis of gamma-amido bond of L-glutamine. In the present investigation, the potent marine isolate, Bacillus subtilis JK-79 producing L-glutaminase was evaluated for the maximum L-glutaminase production by solid state fermentation (SSF). In this context, different agro-industrial residues reported in...
Effect of water deficit at different stages of development on the yield components of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) genotypes
February 2018
Cowpea cultivation is widespread in West Africa where it is an important source of protein. This study is aimed at determining the effects of water deficit applied at different stages of cowpea development on yield and its components (pod number, seed number, seed yield, aerial biomass yield, harvest index and root biomass of the plant). The experiments were carried out in pots during the rainy season of 2016 under...
Shell morphology and the radula structures of two closely related bulinid snails intermediate host of Schistosoma haematobium in Nigeria
February 2018
Bulinid snails act as intermediate host of schistosomes and the presence of the snail gives schistosomiasis an expansive characteristics. Schistosomiasis is of medical and veterinary importance in the tropical and subtropical regions. The shell shape and structure of radula teeth of bulinids are often specific to a species or genus, and are widely used for gastropod species identification. Bulinid species collected from...
Extraction of high quality RNA from hard tissues of adult coconut palms
February 2018
An experimental protocol originally designed to isolate plant DNA was modified to obtain high quality total RNA from organs of adult coconut palms collected in situ. With this protocol, high quality RNA was extracted from leaves, inflorescences, primary and secondary roots, zygotic embryos and solid endosperm, with no carbohydrate or protein contamination. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)...
The antibacterial activity of bacterial endophytes isolated from Combretum molle
February 2018
Although intense research has gone into the exploration of various Combretaceae species towards the discovery of therapeutic relevant compounds, their endophytes have never been explored as potential repositories of alternative sources of novel and medically beneficial equivalents. In the present study, five bacterial endophytes (Lysinibacillus, Staphylococcus, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas and Bacillus species) were...
Efficacy of lantana (Lantana camara) extract application against aphids (Brevicoryne brassicae) in rape (Brassica napus) over varied periods of time
February 2018
Contact bioefficacy of lantana (Lantana camara L.) leaf extract (LLE) against rape aphids (Brevicoryne brassicae L.) in three rape (Brassica napus L.) seed brands at given time (hours) periods was explored. Samples of pounded young leaves mixed with distilled water (3 kg l-1, 2 kg l-1 and 1 kg l-1) were prepared. Dimethoate (7.5 ml 10 l-1) and distilled water were the positive and negative controls, respectively....
Chlorella vulgaris DPSF 01: A unique tool for removal of toxic chemicals from tannery wastewater
February 2018
The present study investigated the removal of toxic pollutants and reduction of heavy metals from tannery wastewater using Chlorella vulgaris. The physiochemical parameters like pH, electrical conductivity (EC), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total solids (TS), total dissolved solids (TDS), chloride, total hardness (TH), bicarbonate, magnesium, ammoniacal nitrogen, phosphate and heavy...
Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of essential oil of Lippia sidoides against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from food
February 2018
Chemical composition, in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities of essential oil of Lippia sidoides (EOLS) and its major constituent was investigated. Chemical composition was analyzed in a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC/MS). Antioxidant activity (AA) was obtained using 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Antimicrobial activity was tested using disk-diffusion test...
Characterization of biodiesel obtained from atemoya (Annona squamosa × A. cherimola) seed oil
February 2018
Biodiesel is derived from renewable sources, such as vegetable oils, by means of a transesterification process in which triacylglycerols are transformed into smaller molecules of esters of fatty acids and glycerol. The transesterification reactions of ‘Gefner’ atemoya (Annona squamosa × A. cherimola) seed oil extracted by pressing (physical) and solvent (chemical) processes were studied, with analysis...
The nitrogen-fixing Frankia significantly increases growth, uprooting resistance and root tensile strength of Alnus formosana
February 2018
Restoration of Alnus formosana (Burk.) Makino on landslide areas is important for agroforestry, forestry and soil erosion control in Taiwan. To ensure successful reforestation, A. formosana seedlings have to develop strong root system for nutrient and water acquisition as well as anchorage. Inoculating of A. formosana with symbiotic nitrogen-fixing actinobacteria Frankia may help mitigate drought and nutrient...
Polymerase chain reaction amplification of 16S rDNA from three nosocomial bacterial isolates in Kaduna State, Northern Nigeria
February 2018
A wide variety of opportunistic pathogens has been detected in hospital surfaces. Medical center surfaces can serve as reservoirs of pathogenic bacteria. Among this pathogens, Pseudomonas species are one of the leading causes of nosocomial infections, frequently found in hospital environments. Polymerase chain amplification system remains one of the best methods for the rapid detection of low numbers of pathogenic...
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus: Diagnosis and metabolites
February 2018
The existence of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) was figured out in different locations in Al-Ahsaa of Saudi Arabia. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results of samples collected showed that TYLCV existed in all locations. Using AVcore and ACcore primers, begomoviruses family were detected in symptomatic tomato plants and by using TYv2664 and TYc138 (specific primers for the detection of TYLCV), the results proved...
Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus and watermelon chlorotic stunt virus induced gene silencing in tobacco plants
February 2018
Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV) and Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV) are the most widespread and damaging viruses to cucurbits in the Middle East. CYSDV and WmCSV are cucurbit-infecting bipartite whitefly-transmitted viruses. Post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) is a universal mechanism by which plants are able to systemically switch off the expression of targeted genes via the reduction...
Isolation, purification and partial characterization of thermostable serine alkaline protease from a newly isolated Bacillus thuringinsis-SH-II-1A
February 2018
In the present study, the isolation, purification and partial characterization of thermostable serine alkaline protease produced from Bacillus thuringinsis SH-II-1A was reported. The culture was isolated from soil of slaughter house waste and identified further from ribosomal sequence. The crude enzyme was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis and Sephadex G-200 gel permeation chromatography up to 17.04...
Morphophysiological diversity of rhizobia nodulating pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) growing in Ethiopia
February 2018
Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is an important protein source grown in several tropical and sub-tropical countries, and is considered a multi-purpose plant that is resistant to the conditions where drought and salinity is a common phenomenon. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diversity of rhizobial isolates obtained from root nodules of pigeon pea plants grown in central and southern Ethiopia. A total...
A comparative study on bacterial conversion of selected agricultural biomass to ethanol
February 2018
The aim of the study was to investigate the bioethanol production potentials by indigenous bacterial isolates screened for amylolytic and cellulolytic activities. Cassava peels were obtained from local ‘garri’ producers, while corn grains and corn cobs were gotten from retailers within the Erinfun farm settlement along Afe Babalola University Road, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria on June 4, 2015. The...
Development and improved selected markers to biosurfactant and bioemulsifier production by Rhizopus strains isolated from Caatinga soil
February 2018
This study screened four Rhizopus species as biosurfactant producers using different markers. First of all, Rhizopus spp. UCP 1607 was identified as Rhizopus arrhizus by morphological and molecular methods. The production of biosurfactant/bioemulsifier was investigated by submerged fermentation using soybean post-frying oil (5% v/v) and sodium glutamate (1% w/v) medium. The primary markers’ hemolysis and parafilm...
Toxicological and safety assessment of tartrazine as a synthetic food additive on health biomarkers: A review
February 2018
Recently, progressive use of synthetic food additives increase the attention paid on their benefit and toxicity in food, especially for the young. One of these additives is artificial azo dyes tartrazine. This study aimed to provide an outline of the existing evidence on the beneficial and side effect of food additive with special reference to tartrazine on different organ health. The methods include updated search for...
Antibacterial effect of Thymus sp. and Boswellia sp. extracts on Streptococcus pneumoniae and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates
January 2018
The antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Boswellia and thyme (Boswellia sp., and Thyme sp.) was evaluated against 20 clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae and 5 isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Essential oils were prepared using methanol and water (1:1) with HPLC technique. Antimicrobial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were measured using disk diffusion method against 20 isolates of...
Controlled fermentation of the zoom-koom dough using two isolates of lactic acid bacteria (LAB 1 and LAB 5) as starter cultures: Effect on hygienic, rheological, nutritional and sensorial characteristics of the final product
January 2018
Zoom-koom is a popular non-alcoholic beverage in Burkina Faso, which is based on cereals and mainly produced by women with important socio-economic implications. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of controlled fermentation using two selected isolates of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as starter cultures, on the rheological and hygienic quality of zoom-koom. The starter cultures were used singly in monoculture and both...
Identification and major technological characteristics of Lactococcus and Lactobacillus strains isolated from "hamoum", an Algerian fermented wheat
January 2018
Twenty-eight strains of lactic bacteria were isolated from fermented wheat "hamoum" and phenotypically attributed to the following species: seven strains of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, six strains of Lactobacillus brevis and 15 strains of Lactobacillus plantarum. The acidifying behavior of the strains is considerably variably demanding on considered strain. The amounts of lactic acid produced reached 9.7...
Evaluation of genetic diversity of okra accessions [Abelmoschus esculentus (L. Moench)] cultivated in Burkina Faso using microsatellite markers
January 2018
Okra is a traditional vegetable grown throughout Burkina Faso. Despite a food and non-food valorization of all parts of the plant, its genetic diversity is still little known. Thus, 50 accessions of okra from Burkina Faso were characterized using 19 microsatellite markers in order to determine the level and structure of genetic diversity. The results reveal a total of 34 alleles including 3 rare alleles and a number...
Bio-preservation of Nigerian soft-white cheese in submerged consortium of bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria culture
January 2018
Bio-preservation of Nigerian soft-white cheese (wara) in submerged consortium of bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) culture was investigated. Lactobacillus acidophilus PIT17 and Lactococcus lactis PIT30 were isolated from pito using the pour plate technique on MRS medium. The selection of L. acidophilus PIT17 and L. lactis PIT30 for the bio-preservation studies were based on their ability to produce...
Dormancy breaking and germination of cat thyme Teucrium marum (Labiatae)
January 2018
Cat thyme is an important medicinal plant used for treating many diseases. With renewed interest as arthropod deterrent and repellents, there is immediate need to cultivate cat thyme on large scale in the laboratory. To improve cat thyme seed germination, obstacles involved in its seed dormancy must be investigated. To address such challenges, mechanical abrasion and chemical treatments were used to enhance the rate of...
Optimized production of phytase by solid-state fermentation using triticale as substrate and source of inducer
January 2018
This study was carried out to evaluate the process of phytase production by Aspergillus niger in solid-state fermentation (SSF) using triticale waste. A waste that currently has no use was reported for this biotechnological process, and is of high impact due to the null use. The process was carried out using an additive free medium, supplemented with only one nitrogen source. Under these conditions, phytase activity of...
Antioxidant and antikindling effect of Tapinanthus globiferus growing on Ficus glumosa in pentylenetetrazole induced kindled rats
January 2018
Tapinanthus globiferus growing on Ficus glumosa is a plant used locally for the treatment of epilepsy. It is found in West Africa on many tree crops. The present study aims to investigate the anti-kindling and antioxidant activity of the aqueous extract of T. globiferus. A total of 40 rats were divided into 4 groups (n=10). Groups 1 to 3 received 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, respectively, of the extract orally, followed by...
Effect of antioxidants (taurine, cysteine, α-tocopherol) on liquid preserved Kolbroek boar semen characteristics
January 2018
Successful artificial insemination depends on maintaining longevity of semen in the reproductive tract, and semen characteristics among others. The study compared efficacy of Androhep extender supplemented with 75 mM taurine, 5 m M-cysteine, or 200 mg/l alpha-tocophero on liquid preservation of Kolbroek boar semen characteristics over 24 and 48 h after storage at 17°C. Total motility was evaluated using computer...
Biodegradation of phenol by free and immobilized Candida tropicalis NPD1401
January 2018
The present research aimed to evaluate the free and immobilized cell of Candida tropicalis NPD1401 for phenol degradation. Immobilized cell of C. tropicalis degraded efficiently up to 98% at a concentration of 1000 mg/l of phenol whereas free cells degraded up to 63% of the same concentration under 9 days of incubation. Stored immobilized beads were reused after 15 days and found to have successfully degraded 62.1% of...
Effect of Moringa oleifera leaves extract on the oxidative stress and gastric mucosal ulcer induced by indomethacin in rats
January 2018
Indomethacin is commonly used as an anti-inflammatory and pain relieving medication; however, it has the side effect of gastric ulcer formation which is an actual common gastrointestinal illness that may result in dangerous complications and even death. Various diseases have been treated widely by the use of oriental herbal medicines, this study aims to evaluate the antiulcerative and antioxidative effect of two doses...
Application of cassava harvest residues (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in biochemical and thermochemical conversion process for bioenergy purposes: A literature review
January 2018
Bioenergy production from biomass and agricultural wastes has gained significant interest due to rising fossil fuel prices and their decrease in air pollutant emissions. This review paper evaluates the state-of-art for the several applications from cassava harvest residues and their use in bioenergy industry, using different thermochemical and biochemical processes. Regarding the great available literature for this...
Semen quality characteristics and testosterone levels of rabbit bucks fed Costus afer leaf
January 2018
Previous studies have shown Costus afer to possess ethno-medical and ethno-veterinary properties, however, the link between C. afer and reproductive activities are not clear. The aim of this research was to assess the impact of C. afer leaf on semen quality characteristics and testosterone levels of adult buck rabbits. Eighteen adult crossbred New Zealand and Chinchilla breeds were divided into three treatments (A, B...
Influence of spacing and application of biofertilizer on growth and yield of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench)
January 2018
The adequate spacing in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) influences its growth and fruit production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth, the leaf composition and okra production in different spacing with and without biofertilizer. This research was carried out from October, 2012 to March, 2013, at the Federal University of Paraiba, Areia county, Paraiba State, Brazil. The experimental design was a...
Isolation, characterization and antibiotics susceptibility of β-glucuronidase producing Escherichia coli and other enteric bacteria from ground beef
January 2018
The current work aimed to determine the prevalence of Escherichia coli in fresh ground beef purchased from butchers' shops in Suez Governorate, Egypt, and the antibiotics susceptibility pattern of the isolated bacteria. E. coli was isolated and detected on tryptone bile glucuronide agar (TBGA) plates as chromogenic selective medium for this species. The sensitivity and resistance of the isolated bacteria to...
Inflorescence developmental polymorphism and its horticultural significance in plantain (Musa spp. AAB)
January 2018
Inflorescence developmental polymorphism and its horticultural significance in plantain (Musa spp. AAB) was investigated in this study. The study was designed to evaluate the consistency of inflorescence dichotomy as well as the horticultural significance of the double and triple bunching plantain phenotypes during several production cycles. Four plantain accessions with different types of multiple bunches or...
Response of four cultivars of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) plantlets free of cassava mosaic virus to micropropagation in different media
January 2018
The aim of this study was to identify the best medium for the micropropagation of four cultivars (Six-mois, M61/061, Yalipe and Rendre) of cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) plantlets free of mosaic virus. The effect of media on the morphogenesis in vitro was studied using different growth regulators combinations, added to MS medium, M0: MS without growth regulator; M1: MS+NAA (0.02 mg/l) ; M2 : MS+BAP (0.05 mg/l); M3:...
Plant cell suspension culture of Thevetia peruviana (Pers.) K. Schum. in shake flask and stirred tank reactor scale: A comparative study
December 2017
The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of changing the shake flask for a stirred-tank bench bioreactor on the performance of Thevetia peruviana cultures. Maximum cell growth of 18.59 and 8.46 g DW/L for shake flask and bench bioreactor at day 14 was obtained, respectively. The end of the exponential growth phase in shake flask was correlated with total sugar consumption, while this behavior was not observed in...
Chemical composition of neem and lavender essential oils and their antifungal activity against pathogenic fungi causing ginseng root rot
December 2017
The aim of this study was to assess in vitro, the antifungal activity and characterize the chemical constituents of the essential oils of Azadirachta indica (neem) and Lavandula angustifolia (lavender). The essential oils of A. indica and L. angustifolia plants were tested against several isolates of pathogenic fungal genera causing root rot disease of ginseng. Agar plate assay indicated that lavender oil at 10%...
Changes observed in Pritchardia pacifica palms affected by a lethal yellowing-type disease in Mexico
December 2017
Lethal yellowing (LY) is a devastating disease, affecting more than 35 palm species. One of them, Pritchardia pacifica, was found to be very susceptible in Florida and it is affected by a LY-type syndrome in Yucatan, Mexico. In this study, plants of P. pacifica were exposed naturally to feral insects in an area affected by LY in Mexico. All the plants exposed died showing symptoms of leaf decay with death occurring...
Effects of Salaha-A (herbomineral drug) on blood parameters of rats and in silico inhibition of P-glycoprotein by it bioactive compounds
December 2017
The drug under study is a herbomineral drug containing tortoise shell ash and ground seeds of Piper nigrum used in the treatment of cancer. Salaha-A was found to contain essential minerals that could have medicinal importance to human. Calcium was found to be the major element in the tortoise shell ash and piperine is the pioneer alkaloid found in Piper nigrum. This work evaluates the effects of Salaha-A at different...
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