Effects of Azadirachta indica Leaf Powder on some Biochemical Parameters of the African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

The study investigated the alterations in biochemical parameters of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) exposed to neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf powder during the short term experimental period in static renewable bioassay system. The fish with mean length and weight of 18.35 ± 0.60cm and 22.38 ± 1.25g respectively were exposed to 0.192, 0.096, 0.048 and 0.00mg/L concentrations of neem leaf powder for 14-day period. During the experimental period, some physicochemical parameters such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and total alkalinity were monitored weekly. At the end of the experimental period, the fish were sacrificed for the test of biochemical parameters that include: total protein, glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, uric acid and creatinine in the serum, liver and kidney of the test fish in order to ascertain the effect of the plant on these biomarkers. As the concentrations of the plant leaf powder increased, the activities of serum total protein, triglycerides, cholesterol, creatinine and glucose either significantly (p<0.05) or insignificantly (p>0.05) decreased. An increase in liver glucose and total protein were recorded while kidney total protein, cholesterol and triglycerides were also either significantly (p<0.05) or insignificantly (p>0.05) increased. However, kidney glucose decreased significantly (p<0.05) while liver cholesterol, creatinine and triglycerides insignificantly decreased. Therefore, it is an indication that the plant leaf powder has effect on the physiological activities of the test fish during the study period.Keywords: Health status, Neem leaf powder, Clarias gariepinus, Toxicity

Role of Prebiotic, Probiotic and Symbiotic Diets on Bacterial proliferation in Feed and Intestine of African (Clarias gariepinus) Catfish

The influence of prebiotic, probiotic and symbiotic diet on microbial proliferation was studied using an in vitro method. In the present trial, formulated diets were supplemented with prebiotic (Sargassum muticum), probiotic (Parkia biglobosa) and combination of Parkia biglobosa and Sargassum muticum (symbiotic diet). Bacteria proliferation in supplemented feeds, small and large intestine of the African catfish, Clarias gariepinus fed the formulated diets were evaluated. The feeding trial that lasted 12 weeks was conducted in plastic aquaria, with each treatment replicated three times. A control diet containing only the feed ingredients was also formulated and fed for the same period. The result showed bacteria proliferation was lowest in the control diet and highest in feed supplemented with prebiotic. Low bacteria proliferation was observed in the small intestine of fish fed symbiotic diet while highest proliferation was recorded in the fish fed prebiotic diet. The result also revealed the lowest bacteria proliferation in the large intestine of fish fed symbiotic diet and highest in fish fed probiotic diet. Using the cell morphology and biochemical characteristics of bacteria isolates in supplemented feed, Clarias gariepinus small and large intestine, the result indicated the presence of some Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) known to produce a variety of antimicrobial substances which are able to stop the development of foodborne diseases by inhibiting the growth of food spoilage and pathogenic organisms

Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) Pulp Juice Production and Quality Evaluation via Proximate and Mineral Composition Analyses

Shea trees (Vitellaria paradoxa) are common in African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Sudan, and others. When fully ripe, the Shea tree's green fruit turns yellow. The tree is well-known and valued for its versatility. Its entire composition is useful in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Among its applications is the production of butter from the nuts, while the rest of the fruit is left to rot or discarded. This study focuses on using other parts of the fruit to create a new product, reduce waste, and expand the Shea value chain. Three formulations of Shea fruit juice were created. The juice were evaluated for nutritional, physicochemical, and mineral compositions. The nutritional composition revealed a high moisture content that ranged from 84.39 to 93.01%, high carbohydrate and caloric values, ranging from 5.84 to 8.96% and 33.51 to 67.31%, respectively. It also had a high concentration of vitamin C (16.45 - 38.99 percent). The mineral composition was observed to increase as the Shea pulp percentage increased. Magnesium was observed to be higher in sample C (36.71±0.24) while sample A recorded a lower magnesium content (18.04±0.06). Calcium was also found to be present in high concentrations (30.07 - 50.64 %). The juice's potassium content ranged from 58.6 - 50.54% in sample C to 24.6 - 60.16% in sample A. The physicochemical analysis revealed a close range of p H values (5.37 - 6.06 %) between the samples and the control, making the juice less susceptible to spoilage. Overall, the results presented a high-quality juice that could compete favorably in the market with other fruit juices

A simple and rapid method for blood collection from walking catfish, Clarias batrachus (Linneaus, 1758)

Blood is collected from experimental animals for a wide range of scientific purposes including; hematology, clinical biochemistry parameters, immunology, studies in bacteriology, parasitology and investigations in reproductive performance and health. The number of methods employed to collect blood from fish include; the puncture of caudal vein, dorsal aorta or cardiac vessels and the severance of the caudal vein. Unfortunately, all these procedures are practically found to be slow and stressful to Clarias batrachus, including the popular caudal vein approach, likely due to the small size of caudal veins relative to the size of the species. In line with the universal ethical recommendations for taking blood from small research animals, we propose an alternative one-operator approach for C. batrachus that is simple, rapid and without the need to sacrifice the fish as with other methods. This procedure targets the dorsal aorta (a relatively larger blood vessel) in a sedated fish, punctured by inserting a needle directly from the anterior part of the anal fin about 2-5 mm behind the genital papilla, to draw the desired amount of blood. The technique is a one-operator procedure not requiring the help of an assistant or any special equipment to restrain the fish. The operation of the protocol is unique since it permits the continuous collection of blood from the same experimental fish over a varied time course and reduces the need for a large number of replicate animals. The advantages of the proposed protocol are also highlighted and discussed in detail

Feeding strategies and energy to protein ratio on tambaqui performance and physiology

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of feed deprivation and refeeding with diets containing different energy to protein ratios (E/P) on the performance and physiology of juvenile tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum). A 4x2 factorial arrangement with three replicates was used, with four E/P ratios (11.5, 10.5, 9.5, and 8.5 kcal g-1 digestible energy per protein) and two feeding regimens (with and without deprivation), during 60 days. Fish from the food-deprived group were fasted for 14 days and refed from the fifteenth to the sixtieth day, whereas the remaining fish were fed for 60 days. At the end of the experimental period, weight of fish subjected to food deprivation was lower than that of those continuously fed; however, this condition did not influence the physiological parameters analyzed. Tambaqui fed 11.5 kcal g-1 achieved lower final weight than those fed with the other diets, in both regimens. Among the physiological parameters, only plasma protein presented significant increase in fish fed 8.5 kcal g-1, in both feeding regimens, probably due to the higher dietary protein concentration. These results indicate that fish show a partial compensatory growth, and that 10.5 kcal g-1 can be recommended for the diet of juvenile tambaqui

Estimation of Tissue Distribution of mRNA Transcripts for Desaturase and Elongase Enzymes in Channa striata (Bloch, 1793) Fingerlings using PCR Technique

Fish species are varied in their capacity to biosynthesize n-3 highlyunsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) such as eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids (EPA & DHA) that are crucial to the health and well-being of all higher vertebrates. Experts report that HUFA metabolism involves enzyme-mediated fatty acyl desaturation (FAD) and elongation (FAE) processes. In previous studies, different workers cloned, characterized, identified and reported several genes for FAD and FAE enzymes in different fish species such as Atlantic salmon, gilthead seabream, rainbow trout and zebrafish, and also demonstrated the up- and down-regulation in the activity of these enzymes in response to fluctuations in dietary HUFA. In this paper, we report on the expression of genes (mRNA transcripts) for FAD and FAE enzymes in different tissues of Channa striata (Bloch, 1793) fingerling, to evaluate the tissues of the fish in which activity of both enzymes are high. To achieve this objective, we used conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique to isolate and quantify the absolute copy number for each gene transcripts from 8 different tissues of the fish (reared with a commercial feed). Our estimate show that the distribution of the 2 enzyme transcripts were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the liver and brain of C. striata than detected in the 6 other tissues evaluated (muscle, ovary, testis, intestine, kidney and skin). Subsequently, we discuss here extensively, the implication of this observation with respect to the use of vegetable oils (VO) as substitute to fish oil (FO) in diets for freshwater fish species

Safety Evaluation on Antinutritional, Bacterial Properties with Sensory Acceptability of Processed Shea (Vitellaria Paradoxa) Pulp Juice

The processing of Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) pulp juice plays a crucial role in its nutritional and sensory attributes, as well as its bacterial composition. This study aims to investigate the antinutritional factors, sensory properties, and microbial activity in processed Shea pulp juice. The study utilized various analytical methods, including proximate analysis, sensory evaluation, and microbial analysis. The findings provide valuable insights into the nutritional quality, taste profile, and microbial composition of Shea pulp juice after processing. The nutritional analysis revealed a substantial amount of moisture of 84.39 to 93.01%, as well as high carbohydrate and caloric values of 5.84 to 8.96% and 33.51 to 67.31%, respectively. It also had a high vitamin C concentration (16.45 - 38.99%). The anti-nutritional analysis shows the presence of phytate (42.80±1.42mg), and oxalate (0.42±0.22mg), it was also found to be very high in tannin (338.80± 1.36mg). Saponin has a low content of 16.59±0.14mg and Cyanide had the lowest quantity (13.23±0.13). Cyanide, oxalate, and phytate concentrations were found to be lower than the reference toxic standard level. In terms of sensory evaluation, all samples were accepted favorably with Sample A and B most preferable to C. This research contributes to the understanding of Shea pulp juice as a potential food source and highlights the importance of optimizing processing techniques to enhance its beneficial properties