June 2012

The role, isolation and identification of Vibrio species on the quality and safety of seafood

Seafoods in their natural environments are associated with a variety of microorganisms. Fish shelf life reduction results from microbial metabolism, mainly by Gram negative bacteria that produce chemical compounds responsible for bad odour, texture and taste. Shelflife is estimated by performing total viable bacterial counts at ambient and refrigeration temperatures. The type and number of bacteria present on seafood...

Author(s): Shikongo-Nambabi M. N. N. N., Petrus N. P and M. B. Schneider

April 2012

Therapeutic potential of antimicrobial peptides from insects

The first antimicrobial peptides were isolated from the cecropia moth Hyalophora cecropia in 1980. Since then a plethora of antimicrobial peptides have been isolated from other arthropods, invertebrates and chordates. With the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens and the promising activity of these peptides, attempts are being made to use these peptides as new antimicrobial agents. Other...

Author(s): Rodney Hull, Rodrick Katete and Monde Ntwasa

June 2012

Millet improvement through regeneration and transformation

Millets, comprising the small-seeded group of the Poaceae family, represent one of the major food- and feed-crops in the semi-arid tropical regions of Africa and Asia. Compared to major crops of the world, these indigenous crops possess a number of beneficial characteristics including tolerance to extreme climatic and soil conditions; hence, adapts to poor soil fertility and moisture deficient areas. Moreover, millets...

Author(s): Sonia Plaza-Wüthrich and Zerihun Tadele