Influence of starter culture of lactic acid bacteria on the shelf life of agidi, an indigenous fermented cereal product

A total of eight lactic acid bacteria were isolated from various fermented cereal gruels (ogi). They were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Pediococcus acidilactici. P. acidilactici in OG3 produced the highest quantity (12.0 g/l) of lactic acid after 48 h, while L. acidophilus in OG3 produced the least (3.6 g/l). All the tested isolates produced hydrogen peroxide with L. mesenetroides, OG2 having the highest yield of 54 mg/l after 36 h. Diacetly was also produced by all the test organism with L. fermentum, OG2 having the highest yield of 6.5 g/l, while the lowest producer was L. casei with 3.2 g/l. Bacteriocin  production was observed in cell free supernatant of all the test organisms except L. fermentum in OG2, L. casei in OG3 and L. brevis in OG4. The bacteriocin produced by L. plantarum in OG3 and L. casei in OG3 had the highest antagonistic activity against Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger used as indicator organisms. Agidi was produced using both bacteriocin producing (BP) L. plantarum OG3 and L. casei ogi made from white sorghum (OG1) and non bacteriocin producing (NBP) L. fermentum OG2 and L. brevis.OG4 The study showed that agidi  produced with BP mixed starter cultures had a better shelf life of 6 days before spoilage occurred, relative to 4 days observed for agidi produced using non-bacteriocin producing starter culture and 2 days for the traditionally produced agidi.Keywords: Lactic acid bacteria, bacteriocin, fermentation, agidi, shelf lif

Identification of genetic risk loci and causal insights associated with Parkinson\u27s disease in African and African admixed populations: a genome-wide association study

\ua9 2023 Elsevier LtdBackground: An understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying diseases in ancestrally diverse populations is an important step towards development of targeted treatments. Research in African and African admixed populations can enable mapping of complex traits, because of their genetic diversity, extensive population substructure, and distinct linkage disequilibrium patterns. We aimed to do a comprehensive genome-wide assessment in African and African admixed individuals to better understand the genetic architecture of Parkinson\u27s disease in these underserved populations. Methods: We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in people of African and African admixed ancestry with and without Parkinson\u27s disease. Individuals were included from several cohorts that were available as a part of the Global Parkinson\u27s Genetics Program, the International Parkinson\u27s Disease Genomics Consortium Africa, and 23andMe. A diagnosis of Parkinson\u27s disease was confirmed clinically by a movement disorder specialist for every individual in each cohort, except for 23andMe, in which it was self-reported based on clinical diagnosis. We characterised ancestry-specific risk, differential haplotype structure and admixture, coding and structural genetic variation, and enzymatic activity. Findings: We included 197 918 individuals (1488 cases and 196 430 controls) in our genome-wide analysis. We identified a novel common risk factor for Parkinson\u27s disease (overall meta-analysis odds ratio for risk of Parkinson\u27s disease 1\ub758 [95% CI 1\ub737–1\ub780], p=2\ub7397 7 10−14) and age at onset at the GBA1 locus, rs3115534-G (age at onset β=–2\ub700 [SE=0\ub757], p=0\ub70005, for African ancestry; and β=–4\ub715 [0\ub758], p=0\ub7015, for African admixed ancestry), which was rare in non-African or non-African admixed populations. Downstream short-read and long-read whole-genome sequencing analyses did not reveal any coding or structural variant underlying the GWAS signal. The identified signal seems to be associated with decreased glucocerebrosidase activity. Interpretation: Our study identified a novel genetic risk factor in GBA1 in people of African ancestry, which has not been seen in European populations, and it could be a major mechanistic basis of Parkinson\u27s disease in African populations. This population-specific variant exerts substantial risk on Parkinson\u27s disease as compared with common variation identified through GWAS and it was found to be present in 39% of the cases assessed in this study. This finding highlights the importance of understanding ancestry-specific genetic risk in complex diseases, a particularly crucial point as the Parkinson\u27s disease field moves towards targeted treatments in clinical trials. The distinctive genetics of African populations highlights the need for equitable inclusion of ancestrally diverse groups in future trials, which will be a valuable step towards gaining insights into novel genetic determinants underlying the causes of Parkinson\u27s disease. This finding opens new avenues towards RNA-based and other therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing lifetime risk of Parkinson\u27s disease. Funding: The Global Parkinson\u27s Genetics Program, which is funded by the Aligning Science Across Parkinson\u27s initiative, and The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson\u27s Research