Spatial Analysis of Water Quality in Parts of Rivers Niger and Kaduna Catchments, North Central, Nigeria

It is understood that human activities have continue to alter the physico-chemical patterns of water and it’s resources, which has resulted into poor water quality in the study area. As comprehensive distribution of water quality parameters in the study area is of great interest, there exist a golden opportunity to consider a study with GIS aided spatial coverage beyond laboratory analytical dimensions. Thus, a total of thirty two (32) samples of water and sediment were collected during rainy and dry season for physico-chemical analysis. Water samples collected were analysed in situ for seven (7) parameters using HANNA multiparameter analyser and eight (8) other parameters were analysed in the analytical laboratory following standard methods. The finding revealed a significant number of parameters analysed were beyond regulatory limits. It is hence recommended that visible policies aimed at ensuring good water quality in the study area are critical for sustainability

Pesticides and Fertilizers Use in Parts of Rivers Niger and Kaduna Catchments, North Central, Nigeria

Pesticides and fertilizers use in parts of Rivers Niger and Kaduna catchments, north central, Nigeria was investigated. Contamination of the rivers and their resources due to unsustainable use of pesticides and fertilizers by local farmers are a major problem in the study area. Also, data from the study of pesticides and fertilizer use remain scanty and therefore needed. The objective is to find the opportunity for all stakeholders to improve on the overall environmental performance. Extensive field survey was conducted using various participatory appraisals techniques involving key stakeholders in the area. Collated data were analysed using descriptive statistical methods (frequency percentage). The results of findings identify unsustainable use of fertilizers and pesticides by farmers in the study area. It further shows respondents in the study area applied high rate of fertilizers and pesticides during farming activities which obviously improved crop yield but in turn lead to water quality degradation. Virtually, majority of the farmers have little or no measures towards ensuring protection of water and biota from the potential danger of pesticides and fertilizers use in the study area. These attitudes discovered could lead to water quality degradation, biodiversity disruption and subsequent negative impact on economic development in the study area. In view of the above, it is recommended that visible and effective environmental management policies in respect of agrochemicals use in the study area be put in place to guarantee cleaner and healthier environment for all

Green synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles using calotropis procera leaf extract and evaluation of its antimicrobial activity

In this study, magnetite nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using Calotropis procera aqueous leaf extract. The effect of the whole extract and some of its phytochemicals on the particle size distribution was determined using Dynamic light scattering (DLS) while other characterizations such as UV–vis spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were carried out. The antimicrobial activity against selected microorganisms was also studied using the agar well diffusion method. The leaf extract showed the presence of phenols, flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids and tannins. The magnetite nanoparticle synthesized using the leaf extract ( Calotropis procera /Fe _3 O _4 ) had an average particle size of 11.1 nm with a PDI of 0.142 while the phenolic, flavonoid and saponin extracts of Calotropis procera leafs produced magnetites with average particle sizes of 62.83 nm, 68.02 nm and 134 nm respectively. The UV–vis spectra displayed the characteristic plasmon resonance peak at 420 nm, the FTIR plots highlighted important functional groups including peaks between 600 cm ^−1 and 400 cm ^−1 confirming the formation of iron oxide while the SEM micrographs showed the nanoparticles were mainly irregular in shape with areas of agglomeration. Calotropis procera /Fe _3 O _4 displayed significant anti-microbial activity against Staphylococcus aureus , Bacillus subtilis , Klebsiella pneumonia , Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum while no activity was recorded against Escherichia coli . The study indicated that Calotropis procera leaf extract was suitable for the green synthesis of magnetite with properties that suggest that it could be potentially applied as antimicrobial nanofillers

Nutrient and Antinutrient Compositions of Some Edible Insect Species in Northern Nigeria

Nutrient and Antinutrient Compositions of Some Edible Insect Species in Northern Nigeria. The nutrient and antinutrient compositions of Moth caterpillar (Cirinaforda), Termite (Macrotermes nigierensis), Cricket (Gryllus assimilis) and Grasshopper (Melanoplus foedus) were determined. The proximate compositions were analysed using the methods of the Association of official Analytical Chemist while minerals were estimated using Atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The fatty acid profile of the oils extracted from the insects was determined by Gas chromatography/Mass spectrometry method. The vitamin and antinutrient composition of these insects were determined using standard laboratory methods. Termite was found to contain the highest amounts of moisture (4.50 ± 0.12%), ash (8.00 ± 0.12%) and fats (40.83 ± 0.03%) while moth caterpillar was found to have the highest amount of crude fibre and carbohydrate (13.25 ± 0.21%). Grasshopper was found to have the highest amount of crude protein (75.08 ± 0.91 %) while termite contained the least amount of protein (43.75 ± 0.03%). The Metabolisable energy of the insects were generally high and ranged from 392.83 ± 0.35 kcal/100g in grasshopper to 554.00 ± 3.40kcal/100g in termite. Potassium was the most abundant mineral in all the insects. Palmitic acid was found in high amounts in termite (25.78%), moth caterpillar (20.78%) and grasshopper (21.15%) while cricket had the lowest palmitic acid content (1.69%). The essential fatty acids found in the insects were linolenic acid and linoleic acid. Moth Caterpillar had the highest amount of linolenic acid (28.69%) while grasshopper had the highest amount of linoleic acid (17.2%). Vitamin E was found to be the most abundant vitamin while vitamin B2 was the least abundant in all the insects analysed. Antinutrients in all the insects were within permissible limits and may not pose any threat to their usage as sources of food. These results have thus justified the consumption of these insects as food. Keywords: Edible insects, Nutrients, Antinutrients, Vitamin, Mineral, Fatty acid

Secondary metabolites and In-vitro Antioxidant Properties of Methanol Extracts of Fruits of Annona senegalensis, Curcubita pepo L, Cucumi melo inodorous and Sarcocephalus latifolius.

The Methanolic extracts of fruits of Annona senegalensis, Curcubita pepo L., Cucumi melo inodorous and Sarcocephalus latifolius were screened for their phytochemical constituents and in-vitro antioxidant properties using standard methods. Results revealed the presence of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, tannins, saponins, flavoniods and phenols in all the fruits studied. Quantitative phytochemical determination of the fruits showed that alkaloid content of the extract ranged between 8.89 ± 0.30 to 193.47± 0.30mg/g while tannin content was in the range of 89.45 ± 1.23 mg/g and 392.71 ± 0.23 mg/g, saponins between10.50 ± 0.50 mg/g and 97.31 ± 0.61 mg/g, total phenols between 75.25 ± 1.85 and 374.52 mg/g, and total flavonoid content between 5.24 ± 0.44 mg/g and 57.00± 10.50mg/g. All the fruits studied showed antioxidant activity in a concentration dependent manner. Annona senegalensis extract showed the highest 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity (38.43-77.15%) while Curcubita pepoL showed the least DPPH scavenging ability (1.00- 3.8%) compared to other extracts. The highest reducing power was also observed in Annona senegalensis extract compared to other fruits extract. These fruits can serve as good sources of antioxidants which can be used in the management of degenerative diseases.Key words: DPPH Free radical, reductive power, Annona senegalensis, Curcubita pepo L, Cucumis melo inodorous, Sarcocephalus latifoliu

Inhibitory activity of xanthine oxidase by fractions Crateva adansonii

Objective: To study the inhibitory effect of various extracts from Crateva adansonii (C. adansonii) used traditionally against several inflammatory diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis, and gout, was investigated on purified bovine milk xanthine oxidase (XO) activity. Methods: Xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity was assayed spectrophotometrically and the degree of enzyme inhibition was determined by measuring the increase in absorbance at 295 nm associated with uric acid formation. Enzyme kinetics was carried out using Lineweaver-Burk plots using xanthine as the substrate. Results: Among the fractions tested, the chloroform fraction exhibited highest potency (IC50 20.2±1.6 μg/mL) followed by the petroleum ether (IC50 30.1±2.2 μg/mL), ethyl acetate (IC50 43.9±1.4 μg/mL) and residual (IC50 98.0±3.3 μg/mL) fractions. The IC50 value of allopurinol used, as the standard was 5.7±0.3 μg/mL. Conclusions: Enzyme inhibition mechanism indicated that the mode of inhibition was of a mixed type. Our findings suggest that the therapeutic use of these plants may be due to the observed Xanthine oxidase inhibition, thereby supporting their use in traditional folk medicine against inflammatory-related diseases, in particular, gout