Effect of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) powder on oxidative stability and sensory characteristics of broiler meat

Antioxidant potency of graded levels of tomato powder in cooked and raw broiler meat under refrigerated storage was evaluated and compared with that of Butylated Hydroxyl Anisole (BHA), a synthetic antioxidant. To a separate 200g of minced broiler meat, 0% (control), 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% of tomato powder were applied. A positive control was prepared with 0.15% of BHA in a separate 200g of minced broiler meat. Each sample was divided into 16 parts of 12.5g each. Eight of these were cooked in a microwave oven for 1/2 minutes while the other eight parts were left raw. The samples were packaged in different nylon bags, with labeling corresponding to the treatment applied and then stored in a refrigerator at 4°C. Oxidative stability of the cooked samples was monitored for 6 days at two-day intervals while that of raw samples was monitored for 9 days at three-day intervals. A forty-member team was constituted to form the taste panel and was instructed on the parameters to adjudge using a five point Hedonic scale. The result showed that all additives and BHA reduced lipid oxidation in broiler meat. This was shown by lower TBARS values in meat samples with additives compared to meat samples without additive. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in the TBARS values of cooked and raw meat samples. There was a general increase in lipid oxidation as storage day progress. However, the increment was more pronounced in cooked meat samples than the raw meat samples. The result revealed that 0.5% and 1.5% tomato powder exhibited higher antioxidant potency (P<0.05) than BHA in the cooked and raw samples respectively. The control samples were the most susceptible to lipid oxidation. Sensory scores revealed that all levels of tomato powder improved the color, flavor, juiciness, tenderness and overall acceptability of broiler meat. Tomato powder could therefore, be used as a cheap, readily available and safe source of natural antioxidant to protect broiler meat from lipid oxidation and improve its sensory characteristics. Keywords: tomato, antioxidant, minced, broiler, BHA<African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, Volume 12 No.

4kUHD H264 Wireless Live Video Streaming Using CUDA

Ultrahigh definition video streaming has been explored in recent years. Most recently the possibility of 4kUHD video streaming over wireless 802.11n was presented, using preencoded video. Live encoding for streaming using x264 has proven to be very slow. The use of parallel encoding has been explored to speed up the process using CUDA. However there hasnot been a parallel implementation for video streaming. We therefore present for the first time a novel implementation of 4kUHD live encoding for streaming over a wireless network at low bitrate indoors, using CUDA for parallel H264 encoding. Our experimental results are used to verify our claim.</jats:p

Studies on the traditional methods of production of maize tuwo (a Nigerian non-fermented maize dumpling).

This study was carried out in order to identify the critical areas that could have potential influence on the quality characteristics of maize tuwo (a Nigerian nonfermented maize dumpling) and which might also serve as a basis for any technological improvement effort with respect to the product quality. Commercial producers of maize tuwo were interviewed and their production processes evaluated while samples (maize flour and tuwo) collected from them were respectively analyzed. The investigation revealed that white maize grains of different varieties were commonly being used for tuwo preparation and this has a potential of influencing product quality. The quality factors being used for assessing maize tuwo by the consumers were colour, texture (mouldability and swallowability) and taste.Other critical areas with potential influence on product quality were variation in flour production methods which are grit soaking and grit non-soaking methods and variation in particle size distribution of flour being used in tuwo preparation. Grit nonsoaking method was generally being adopted by most maize tuwo producers while the flour from grit soaking method was generally believed to give a better tuwo quality. Variation in the colour indices of maize flour samples was another critical area thatcould influence product quality. The lightness index (L*-value) of the flour ranged between 88.2 and 88.9 while the chroma (C-value) ranged between 13.3 and 15. There was also a variation in the softness index (textural quality) of maize tuwo. The softness index ranged between 17.8mm and 18.7mm immediately after cooling but ranged between 16.2mm and 17.5mm about nine hours after production. Another critical area that could influence tuwo quality was variation in flour/water ratiosinvolved in product preparation. The ratio ranged between 1:3.3 and 1:3.8. The conclusion made from the ingredient standardization effort was that the overall flour/water ratio for maize tuwo preparation should be 1:3.5. The sequential mixing of flour and water during maize tuwo preparation should also be as follows: initial slurry preparation (20 and 25% of the desired total flour quantity and water volume, respectively), water used in initial boiling (60% of total volume), flour added to thepap-like consistency (80% of total) and water added to the gel- like consistency (15% of total volume)

Serum antioxidant vitamins and the risk of oral cancer in patients seen at a tertiary institution in Nigeria

Objectives: Tobacco and alcohol are major risk factors of oral cancer, but nutritional deficiency may also contribute to development of oral cancer. This study compared serum antioxidant vitamin levels in oral cancer patients and controls in order to validate the role of vitamin deficiencies in the etiology of oral cancer. Materials and Methods: Serum vitamin A, C, and E levels of 33 oral cancer patients and 30 controls at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, were determined using standard methods. The data obtained were analyzed using the Student t‑test, odds ratio, and logistic regression. Results: Mean vitamin A, C, and E levels were significantly lower in oral cancer patients (P=0.022, P=0.000, and P=0.013 respectively). Risk of oral cancer was 10.89, 11.35, and 5.6 times more in patients with low serum vitamins A, C, and E, respectively. However, on logistic regression analysis, only low serum vitamin E independently predicted occurrence of oral cancer. Conclusions: The lower serum vitamin A, C, and E levels in oral cancer patients could be either a cause or an effect of the oral cancer. Further studies using a larger sample size and cohort studies with long‑term follow‑up of subjects are desirable.Keywords: Antioxidant vitamins, Nigeria, oral cancer riskNigerian Journal of Clinical Practice &bull;Jan-Mar 2012 &bull; Vol 15 &bull; Issue