Proximate Composition and Amino Acid Profile of Raw and Cooked Black Variety of Tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) Grown in Northeast Nigeria

Tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) is an underutilized tuber of family Cyperaceae which produces rhizomes from the base of the tuber that is somewhat spherical. The three varieties of yellow, brown and black tiger nut are grown in Nigeria. Proximate and amino acid compositions of raw and cooked black variety of Cyperus esculentus were investigated using standard analytical techniques. The respective proximate composition values (%) for the raw and cooked samples were: Moisture (3.73 and 4.66), ash (2.57 and 3.38), crude fat (8.94 and 9.92), crude protein (12.09 and 9.25), crude fibre (7.02 and 4.52), and carbohydrate (65.66 and 69.29). The calculated fatty acids and metabolizable energy for the raw and cooked samples were 7.15 and 7.94%; 1652.53 and 1702.22 kJ/100g, respectively. The values of metabolizable energy in this study showed that both samples have energy concentrations more favourable than cereals. The amino acid profile revealed that raw and cooked samples of Cyperus esculentus contained nutritionally useful quantities of most of the essential amino acids with total essential amino acid (TEAA) (with His) were 45.69 and 48.25%, respectively. The value of predicted protein efficiency ratio (P–PER) for the raw tuber was 2.77, the value is higher than the reported P–PER values of some legumes in the literature. However, essential amino acid supplementation may be required in Ile, Leu, TSAA and Val when comparing the EAA in this report with the recommended FAO/WHO provisional pattern. The limiting EAAs in the raw and cooked Cyperus esculentus tuber were Leu and TSAA, respectively. Keywords: Proximate, amino acids, tigernu

Mineral Content of Some Plant Foods Grown in Nigeria: A Review

Minerals are natural inorganic substances that possess definite chemical composition and atomic structure. Nearly five percent of the body is composed of inorganic materials, the minerals. Minerals do not serve as a source of energy for the body but have specific chemical functions. For this purpose, mineral content of some plant foods found in Nigeria were critically reviewed. The plant foods were classified into legumes (Vigna unguiculata, Cucurbitaceae, vigna subterranean, Arachis hypogeal, Glycine max, Phaseolus coccineus, Cajanus cajan, Kerstingiella geocarpa, Phaseolus vulgaris L., Phaseolus lunatus and Prosopis Africana); cereals (Zea mays, Sorghum bicolor, Pennisetum typhoides and Oryza sativa); roots and tubers (Dioscorea spp, Manihot esculanta, Xanthosoma sagititolium and Ipomoea batatas L.); fruits/vegetables/nuts (Musa spp, Psidium guajava, Carica papaya, Citrus sinensis, Ananus comosus, Malaudo mistica, Anarcardium occidentale, Veronia amygdalina L. and Dacryodes edulis). Atomic absorption spectrophotometric (AAS) method is used for the minerals determination except sodium and potassium which are usually determined using flame photometry while phosphorus is by using colorimetry. The mineral contents were found to be at the range of concentrations as Ca: 0.003 – 700.00, Mg: 0.0546 – 1420.10, Na: 0.0065 – 220.00, K: 0.010 – 817.40, P: 0.0130 – 5500.00 and Fe: 0.0067 – 36.00 mg/100g for legumes; Ca: 0.13 – 8490.00, Mg: 0.006 – 4571.00, Na: 0.019 – 375.69, K: 0.63 – 39856.00, P: 3.54 – 695.50 and Fe: 0.0005 – 1304.00 mg/100g for  fruits/vegetables/nuts; Ca: 1.05 – 290.00, Mg: 0.49 – 415.07, Na: 0.18 – 1365.05, K: 0.50 – 4276.04, P: 0.28 – 120.00 and Fe: 0.53 – 81.85 mg/100g for roots and tubers and Ca: 0.005 – 532.00, Mg: 1.54 – 348.30, Na: 0.006 – 520.00, K: 0.011 – 618.00, P: 73.00 – 46.30 mg/100g for cereals. Microelement concentrations of the foods varied appreciably. Zinc content was highest in Vigna unguiculata, Psidium guajava, Manihot esculanta and Zea mays with values of 162.00, 2209.00, 340.00 and 16.70 mg/100g, respectively. Legumes and fruits/vegetables/nuts are seen to be better sources of mineral than foods in the category of roots, tubers and cereals. Keywords: Legumes, cereals, fruits, vegetables, snuts, roots, tubers, minerals

SUITABILITY OF NIGERIAN CORN HUSK AND PLANTAIN STALK FOR PULP AND PAPER PRODUCTION

Wood is a prominent raw material in the production of pulp and paper, but due to the impact of forest depletion on the environment worldwide, research is being focused on non-wood sources as alternative sources of fibre and as a solution to destruction of the environment. The aim of this study therefore, is to investigate the suitability or otherwise of corn husk and plantain stalk which are abundant agro-waste materials in Nigerian environment in pulp and paper production. The pulping of corn husk and plantain stalk was achieved through Chemical Pulping process (Soda pulping) and the pulps obtained were analyzed for their chemical compositions. Also, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the surface morphological structure of the pulps produced. The resulting pulps were then used for papermaking and the Mechanical strength of papers obtained was determined. The results of chemical composition analysis for the pulp obtained from corn husk were (3.57%, 41.23%, 10%, 12.04% and 23.00 %) while that of plantain stalk were (11.19%, 57.86%, 10%, 4.60% and 35.96%) for Ash content, Cellulose content, Moisture content, Lignin content and Pulp yield respectively. The result of Mechanical strength analysis of the paper produced are (66.04 g/m2, 0.30 mm,5.33 Nm/g,12.83Nm2/g,0.13 N/mm2,2.7 mm) from corn husk while that of plantain stalk are (30.99 g/m2,0.08 mm,1.25 Nm/g,5.20Nm2/g,2.95 N/mm2,2.20 mm) for Grammage, Thickness, Tensile index, Tear index, Modulus of Elasticity and Elongation at break respectively. The SEM images analysis showed that there is a more condensed and packed arrangement of fibre in corn husk than plantain stalk. The overall results showed that Corn husk and Plantain stalk have a promising potential as alternative source of fibre in paper making industry

SUITABILITY OF NIGERIAN CORN HUSK AND PLANTAIN STALK FOR PULP AND PAPER PRODUCTION

Wood is a prominent raw material in the production of pulp and paper, but due to the impact of forest depletion on the environment worldwide, research is being focused on non-wood sources as alternative sources of fibre and as a solution to destruction of the environment. The aim of this study therefore, is to investigate the suitability or otherwise of corn husk and plantain stalk which are abundant agro-waste materials in Nigerian environment in pulp and paper production. The pulping of corn husk and plantain stalk was achieved through Chemical Pulping process (Soda pulping) and the pulps obtained were analyzed for their chemical compositions. Also, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the surface morphological structure of the pulps produced. The resulting pulps were then used for papermaking and the Mechanical strength of papers obtained was determined. The results of chemical composition analysis for the pulp obtained from corn husk were (3.57%, 41.23%, 10%, 12.04% and 23.00 %) while that of plantain stalk were (11.19%, 57.86%, 10%, 4.60% and 35.96%) for Ash content, Cellulose content, Moisture content, Lignin content and Pulp yield respectively. The result of Mechanical strength analysis of the paper produced are (66.04 g/m2, 0.30 mm,5.33 Nm/g,12.83Nm2/g,0.13 N/mm2,2.7 mm) from corn husk while that of plantain stalk are (30.99 g/m2,0.08 mm,1.25 Nm/g,5.20Nm2/g,2.95 N/mm2,2.20 mm) for Grammage, Thickness, Tensile index, Tear index, Modulus of Elasticity and Elongation at break respectively. The SEM images analysis showed that there is a more condensed and packed arrangement of fibre in corn husk than plantain stalk. The overall results showed that Corn husk and Plantain stalk have a promising potential as alternative source of fibre in paper making industry

Effect of Domestic Processing on the Levels of Some Functional Parameters in Black Turtle Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L)

There are useful constituents that are present in legume seeds but their utilization has been ignored because it has been established that there are compounds or substances which act to reduce nutrient intake, digestion and absorption. It was on these premises that effect of domestic processing methods (boiling, cooking, roasting, sprouting and fermenting) were investigated on some functional parameters for black turtle bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) flour. The functional parameters (oil absorption, oil emulsion, water and foaming capacities: OAC, OEC, WAC, FC; foaming and oil emulsion stabilities: FS, OES; bulk density: BD; least gelation capacity: LGC; protein solubility: PS) of raw and processed black turtle bean flour were all determined using standard analytical techniques. The results showed that WAC, OAC, FC, LGC and BD were all enhanced by different processing methods while FS was reduced by the same methods. Emulsion capacity and stability were either enhanced or reduced by these methods. Processing significantly (p?0.05) affected the content of some functional parameters in black turtle bean flour. The protein solubility studies of the raw and processed samples were found to have minimum solubility at pH 4.0 which corresponds to the isoelectric point where protein isolates might be recovered from the samples. The food properties of WAC, OAC, FC, FS, EC, ES, LGC and BD in the raw and processed black turtle bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are much better than most literature samples thereby making black turtle bean potentially useful in some food formulations. Keywords: Food properties, processing methods, black turtle bea

Physicochemical Characteristics of the Oils Extracted from Some Nigerian Plant Foods – A Review

Fats and oils are non-volatile substances insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvent. They constitute along with protein and carbohydrates, the major food stuffs and are widely distributed in nature. Oil serves as a good source of protein, lipid and fatty acids for human nutrition including the repair of worn-out tissues, new cells formation as well as a useful source of energy. Oilseeds are those seeds that contain considerably large amounts of oil. Oil can be extracted from oilseed by using traditional methods of extraction (on a very small scale), mechanical expression (hydraulic and screw presses) which can be manual, semi-automated or automated, and solvent extraction (e.g. hexane, fluid carbon dioxide) or a combination of two of these methods. Physicochemical parameters of the oils extracted from some Nigerian plant foods using standard analytical techniques were reviewed. The physicochemical properties of the plant oils reviewed  were found to be at the range concentrations as follows: Saponification value (SV): 5.58 - 249.90 mgKOH/g, peroxide value (PV): 0.45 - 290.00 mEq O2/kg of sample, acid value (AV): 0.34 - 68.88 mg KOH/g, iodine value (IV): 2.65 - 153.00 g I2/100g sample, density (Ds): 0.9031 - 0.9208 g/cm3, viscosity (Vs): 0.43 to 302.39 mm2/sec, specific gravity (SG): 0.830 – 1.710, refractive index (RI): 0.147 – 1.792, free fatty acid (FFA): 0.14 – 34.65 % as oleic acid, ester value (EV): 0.54 – 241.04 mgKOH/g and heat of combustion (HC): 8904.25 – 11303.35 gcal/g. The result of the reviewed work confirms the Nigerian seed oils to be of good quality and can find application either in food industry as food additives or industrial purposes such as cosmetics, soaps, paint and even energy generation. Keywords: Physicochemical parameters, seed oils, Nigeria

Production of Flexible Polyurethane Foam using Soya Bean Oil and Palm Kernel Oil as Surfactant and Polyol Respectively

The use of local raw materials in industrial processes is an important aspect of technological development. These locally produced raw materials can be substituted for imported raw materials in different production and manufacturing processes. This study investigated the performance characteristics of polyurethane foams produced through partial to total substitution of imported constituents; surfactants (silicone oil) and polyol with locally produced soya bean oil and palm kernel oil. The produced polyurethane foam samples were taken through the required physical tests to investigate their degree of compatibility or otherwise with polyurethane foam produced using 100% imported polyol and silicone oil respectively.   The results of various physical tests established that palm kernel oil can be blended with polyol up to 20% formulations; also soya bean oil can be blended with silicone oil up to 20% formulations. This is because the polyurethane foams produced through these formulations compared favorably well at 20% substitution with foam produced using 100% imported polyol and silicone oil respectively while other formulations showed a wide variation from the standard recommended values. Keywords: Polyurethane, Soya bean oil, Palm kernel oil, Polyol and Silicone oil

THE POTENTIAL OF NEEM SEED OIL (AZADIRACHTA INDICA) AS NATURAL HOUSEHOLD INSECTICIDE

Use of synthetic insecticides has resulted into health hazards, ecological imbalance, resistance by pests and environmental pollution. Neem seed oil is reported to be a natural pesticide that has excellent insecticidal properties whose usage will reduce the risks associated with the use of synthetic insecticides.   In this study, attempts were made to formulate neem seed oil-additive emulsions to be used as insecticide on household pests. Solvent extraction method was used for extracting oil from neem seed while acetone and calcium oxide were used as additives (inert ingredients) to formulate emulsifiable medium which were tested on four common household pests (cockroaches, black ants, soldier ants and millipedes). It was observed that the additive samples to which 5 ml of neem seed oil were added were the most effective and active of all the tested mixture samples. The insects were either killed or their movement retarded within the shortest time compared to other samples with lesser amount of neem seed oil The results of the study showed that extracted oil from neem seed in emulsions with additives can be used as natural household insecticides. Also, acetone and calcium oxide used as additives (inert ingredient) readily improve the insecticidal properties of the neem seed oil with acetone being the most effective

Understanding the queuing theory for improved service delivery: an entrepreneurial-mindset approach

Queuing theory plays a huge role in solving and preventing operational bottlenecks and service failures in the organization. But, observations show that Queuing analysis may become extremely complex and cumbersome. Therefore, most entrepreneurs, having realized its usefulness in managing their much earned successes achieved in relation to customer’s patronage and service delivery now desire its simplified applications in normal day to day running of operations. The methodology adopted in this paper, therefore is to describe queuing theory and its associated terminologies in relation to service delivery. In view of this, the paper presented a simplified exposition of queuing theory and management of waiting lines as it affects entrepreneurial drive for more business growth and opportunities with its attendant implications to customers’ service delivery and satisfaction. The paper concluded that if appropriately delivered and applied, queuing theory goes a long way in achieving and maintaining customer satisfaction. It recommended that entrepreneurs should seek the opportunity of gaining better understanding and application of queuing theory to practically reduce or eliminate boredom, irritation, breakdown and frustration to customers without much ado.Keywords: queues, customer, waiting line, entrepreneurs, servic

Optimization of Process Parameters for the Carbonization of Flamboyant Pod Bark (Delonix Regia)

This study investigates the carbonization of flamboyant pod bark (FPB) for the purpose of production of effective activated carbon from the agricultural residue. Central Composite Design (CCD) under the Response Surface Methodology was employed to combine the selected process parameters [Temperature (300 - 600 0C) and Time (30 - 65 mins)] for the carbonization. FPB were collected within the fields of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, mechanically cracked, crushed, washed with distilled water and sun-dried for seven days before eventually subjecting to carbonization, after which the resultant yields were determined and the statistical analysis was evaluated. The maximum (45.45%) and minimum (11.82%) yields were obtained at Run 1 (3000C/30 mins) and Run 11 (6000C/ 65 mins). The quadratic model equation is given as Yield = 23.27 - 3.48A - 4.38B - 2.81A2 + 0.19B2 + 0.11AB and the R2 value for the model equation is 0.9705 while the adjusted as well as predicted R2 values are 0.9459 and 0.8578, respectively. The numerical optimization by the Design Expert (6.0.8) software suggested minimum yield of 12.89%, (600 0C/ 65 mins) at desirability of 0.941. This research has indicated the suitability of using CCD for the optimization of process parameters for the carbonization of Flamboyant Pod Bark