Development of an improved dug canoe for artisanal fisheries

A dug canoe similar to the one commonly used by artisanal fisherfolks 4.82M (LOA) was designed and constructed using locally available materials, as an alternative to hardwood that is becoming very scarce. The canoe have least cost, easy construction, adequate stability, light weight and easy maneuverability, as its attributes. The light displacement (weight empty) was 37kg which is light enough in relation to craft of same size commonly used by fishermen. The capacity of the canoe was 210 kg (3 persons) and total production cost of N18,400 which is not beyond the reach of an average fisherfolk. The craft is small and fall among the category of crafts that account for the greater percentage of national fish landing. The canoe also closely resembles the local fishing crafts, hence easy acceptance by local fisherfolk

Production of Proteolytic Enzyme from Catfish Waste Using Bacillus subtilis, Proteus vulgaris, and Arthrobacter aurescens

The world marine captured fishes contribute to more than 50 % of the total world fish production. About 70 % of fish is processed before final sale, resulting in 20-80 %  of  fish  waste  depending  on  the  level  of  processing  and  type  of  fish. The majority of fish wastes are disposed of in the ocean as well as on land. The discards from  the  processing  plants  amount  to  20  million  tonnes,  which  is  equivalent  to  25 %  of  the  world's  total  production  from marine captured fisheries. The fish processing industry generates considerable amounts of by-products such as waste that includes shells, scales, fins and bone frames. Interestingly, they are all often high in protein, which can be processed into useful products. Three organisms Bacillus subtilis, Proteus vulgaris, and Arthrobacter aurescens were isolated and used in the production of the proteolytic enzyme in three different protease production media. B. subtilis, P. vulgaris and A. aurescens were observed to have produced protease best at 48 hr of the second production, 72 hr of the third production, and 72 hr of first production, respectively. Fish waste should not be discarded into the environment, which can cause adverse effect on human health and environmental pollution, but rather they can be used in industries such as food industry in the production of baby foods to help break down the available protein into amino acids required by the body. Keywords: Environmental pollution, Marine habitat, Fish processing, Food protein, Food industr

Comparative Antimicrobial Analysis of Chitosan Nanoparticles With Gentamicin And Chloramphenicol

Chitosan has attained increasing commercial interest as suitable resource materials due to their excellent properties including biocompatibility, biodegradability, adsorption and ability to form films and to chelate metal ions. Antibiotics resistance has become rampant and nanoparticles are increasingly used to target microorganisms as an alternative to antibiotics. The research was conducted to produce and synthesize nanoparticles using the extract of chitosan and test the antimicrobial activity against some selected bacteria. Chitosan was produced by demineralization, deproteinization and deacetylation of oyster shell. The silver nanoparticle was synthesized from Chitosan and screened for in vitro antimicrobial activity against selected bacteria using agar well diffusion method. Synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using UV-VIS spectrophotometry, FTIR spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Chitosan nanoparticles showed some inhibiting properties against the growth of most of the organisms tested (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi). Most of the isolates were inhibited by both extracts. The positive control which was chloramphenicol and gentamycin inhibited the growth of all organisms except Salmonella typhi. Keywords: Chitosan, Silver nanoparticles, Agar well-diffusion, SEM, FTI

Inhibitory effects of Lactobacillus fermentii and Lactococcus lactis against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

Probiotics and their derivatives are becoming increasingly popular in the fight against pathogenic biofilms. This research work explores the use of probiotic bacteria and their potential as antimicrobial agents against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms and the infections they cause. P. aeruginosa strains were grown on LB (Lysogeny Broth) for 24 hours and characterized using biochemical tests. The biofilm-forming strains were quantified using polystyrene microtiter-plates in a spectrophotometric assay supplemented with M63 minimal media. LAB (Lactobacillus fermentii and Lactococcus lactis) were isolated from fermented maize paste (ogi), Cheese (Waara), Fura and fermented milk (Nunu) on Skim milk agar and were characterized based on colony morphology, cell morphology and biochemical tests.  From the isolates, two strains of LAB were selected as probiotics. They were tested for their inhibitory potential against biofilm-forming P. aeruginosa using liquid co-culture assay. The Lactic acid content and Hydrogen Peroxide was estimated by titration for three days. Lactococcus lactis had more stable lactic acid production than Lactobacillus fermentii (2.70 g/L) although both peaked on Day 2 with Lactococcus lactis producing slightly more lactic acid (2.72 g/L). With liquid co-culture assay, there was a 63% decrease observed in the optical density of biofilms.   Keywords: Probiotics, Lactic Acid Bacteria, Biofilm, Lactic acid, Lactobacillus fermentii, Lactococcus lactis, Pseudomonas aeruginos

Inhibitory effects of Lactobacillus fermentii and Lactococcus lactis against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

Probiotics and their derivatives are becoming increasingly popular in the fight against pathogenic biofilms. This research work explores the use of probiotic bacteria and their potential as antimicrobial agents against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms and the infections they cause. P. aeruginosa strains were grown on LB (Lysogeny Broth) for 24 hours and characterized using biochemical tests. The biofilm-forming strains were quantified using polystyrene microtiter-plates in a spectrophotometric assay supplemented with M63 minimal media. LAB (Lactobacillus fermentii and Lactococcus lactis) were isolated from fermented maize paste (ogi), Cheese (Waara), Fura and fermented milk (Nunu) on Skim milk agar and were characterized based on colony morphology, cell morphology and biochemical tests.  From the isolates, two strains of LAB were selected as probiotics. They were tested for their inhibitory potential against biofilm-forming P. aeruginosa using liquid co-culture assay. The Lactic acid content and Hydrogen Peroxide was estimated by titration for three days. Lactococcus lactis had more stable lactic acid production than Lactobacillus fermentii (2.70 g/L) although both peaked on Day 2 with Lactococcus lactis producing slightly more lactic acid (2.72 g/L). With liquid co-culture assay, there was a 63% decrease observed in the optical density of biofilms.   Keywords: Probiotics, Lactic Acid Bacteria, Biofilm, Lactic acid, Lactobacillus fermentii, Lactococcus lactis, Pseudomonas aeruginos