PROBIOTIC CARRIER POTENTIAL, SENSORY PROPERTIES AND MICROBIAL QUALITY OF UGBA (PENTACLETHRA MACROPHYLLA) AND OGIRI (RICINUS COMMUNIS)

Ugba’ and ‘Ogiri’, fermented products of African oil bean (Pentaclethra macrophylla) and Castor oil seed (Ricinus communis), were screened for microbiological profile and ability to serve as carrier medium for probiotic, the sensory acceptability of products over twenty one days storage was also analyzed. Assay of unpasteurized products from different food vendors gave mean heterotrophic bacterial count for Ugba ranging from 6.20 x1010-2.96x1011 cfu/g, bacteria count in Ogiri samples range from 5.10x1010-1.21x1011 cfu/g. Mean fungal count in Ugba samples range from 8.0x108-2.01x1010 cfu/g while count of fungi in Ogiri range from 2.1x109-1.21x1010 cfu/g. The bacteria isolated in-clude species of Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, Serratia, Klebsiella, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, Streptococcus and Lactobacillus. The fungi species implicated include Rhizopus, Geotrichum, Saccharomyces, Mucor, Penicillium, Fusarium and Aspergillus. Microbial load of inoculated LAB (LASO and LAWB) multiplied in all the products throughout the storage period, there was also increase in number of recov-ered LAB from the stool samples through the period of study. Unpasteurized products of both Ugba and Ogiri declined in sensory attributes after day 5-9 while Ogiri and Ugba samples with LASO and LASO+LAWB combinations had better sensory properties at day 21. Ogiri and Ugba could serve as good carrier medium for probiotic with good organoleptic properties, however texture stability of these products during storage need further investigation. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point assessment, Good Manufacturing Practice and packaging are nec-essary to curtail microbial contaminations in these products

Quality Aspects of African Salad

The proximate and microbiological quality of African salad a special salad recipe native to Nigeria was investigated in order to provide scientific, research based information on the nutritional and micro floral composition of this exotic delicacy. Samples of salad were purchased from six food vending sites which serve as the major business and residential area in Owerri. The predominant bacterial isolates from African salad belong to Bacillus spp, Staphylococcus spp, Escherichia coli, Enterococci and Serracia. The fungal spp isolated include Saccharomyces, Mucor, Rhizopus, Penicillium and Aspergillus. The mean total aerobic plate count range from 7.7x1011 to 4.8x1012, coliform count range from 8.5x1010 to 3.5x1011 and fungal count range from 6.6x109 to 4.7x1010. Based on the specifications by International Commission for Microbiological Specification for Foods (ICMSF), the level of contaminations was unacceptable and could pose health challenge. The chemical composition of the African salad samples consist of carbohydrate (21.07%), protein (4.38%), fat (7.80%), fiber (3.29%), and moisture (62.72%). Energy value of 169.30 kcal and minerals were recorded. African salad as seen from this report is a nutritious food, fit for all age groups. Special care however, has to be taken in its preparation as contaminants could be introduced through the ingredients. Education of food handlers and the general public on food safety measures, effective Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) application and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) implementation is imperativ

Phytochemical and antibacterial properties of Acalypha hispida leaves

The active ingredients in the leaves of Acalypha hispida plant were extracted with ethanol, methanol, chloroform and water to ascertain the extractive potentials of the solvents and the antibacterial properties of the extracts. The organisms used for the antibacterial properties assessment were E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi. The susceptibilities of the test bacteria to the extracts were determined using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and zone of inhibition test (ZIT) methods. The test organisms were susceptible to the extracts, although this varied across different solvent extracts and the test bacteria. The Methanol extract exhibited more antibacterial activity against the test bacteria, followed by ethanol, chloroform and water in decreasing order. There was no significant difference between the antibacterial effect of methanol and ethanol extracts of A. hispida on P. aeruginosa and E. coli (p>0.05). There was however significant difference between the  antibacterial effect of methanol and ethanol extracts of A. hispida on S. aureus and S. typhi (p ethanol > chloroform > water. Phytochemical screening of the leaf extracts revealed the presence of tannin, alkaloid, steroid, saponin and flavonoid, while hydrogen cyanide and carbohydrate were absent.Key words: Acalypha hispida, bacteria, antibacterial activity and phytochemical properties