Effect of micro-organism and particle size on fermentation of sorghum and maize for poultry feed

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of particle size and micro-organism on fermentation of sorghum and maize for poultry feed. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolour L. Moench) and maize were milled in a hammer mill and separated into coarse, medium, fine and very fine particles sizes with a stack of sieves of apertures 2.5 mm, 850 μm and 500 μm, from the first to the last sieve and ending in a pan with the very fine particles. Samples were weighed into 100 g sachets and irradiated using 60Co at 25 kGy γ-radiation. Grains were fermented with sterile distilled water for 24 h at a ratio of 1 feed:1.4 water and inoculated with 0.01 ml of an overnight culture of De Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) broth containing Pediococcus acidilactici (PA1) or Lactobacillus plantarum (SLP) (ca 109 cfu/ml). The medium was incubated at 30°C simultaneously with a control treatment without lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Subsamples were collected aseptically at the beginning of the fermentation (0 h) and at 4, 8, 24 h after fermentation for pH, sugar and organic acids analysis. Significant reductions in the pH of maize and sorghum for LAB treatments (PA1 and SLP) were evident after 8 hours of fermentation. Twenty four hour lactic acid concentrations from coarse particle size fermentations were not significantly different from concentrations in the medium and fine particle size fermentations. The choice of LAB did not affect the concentration of lactic acid for any particle size. However, acetic acid production from fermentation with PA1 was significantly higher (P<0.01) than the concentration obtained with SLP. Results suggest that moderate grain processing may be enough to permit production of biosafe levels of lactic acid in fermented feed for poultry birds.Keywords: Fermentation, lactic acid bacteria, maize, particle size, sorghum African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(26), pp. 4147-415

Quality and Safety of Beef Produced in Central African Sub-Region

Aim of this research is to provide a general situation of cattle slaughtered in Cameroon, as a representative example for the Central African Sub-region. The quality and safety of beef from the abattoir of Yaoundé, the largest in Cameroon, were considered. From January 2009 to March 2012, the pre-slaughter conditions and characteristics of 1953 cattle carcasses were recorded, as well as the pH of m. longissimus thoracis 24 h after slaughter. From these carcasses, 60 were selected to represent the bulls slaughtered. The quality parameters and composition of m. longissimus thoracis were carried out. The origin of most of the cattle was the Guinea High Savannah (74.6%), and transhumance was the common production system (75.5%). Gudali (45.6%), White Fulani (33.3%) and Red Mbororo (20.3%) breeds were predominant. Carcass weight was affected by rearing system and cattle category, and it markedly varied during year. Considering meat quality, the fat content was low (1.2%) and similar between breeds, moreover Gudali showed the toughest meat. Of the cows slaughtered, 27% were pregnant and the most common abnormal conditions encountered were ectoparasites, fatigue, lameness, fungal-like skin lesions, enlarged lymph nodes, respiratory distress, nodular lesions. More than 20% of the carcasses had some organs condemned, mainly for liver flukes (5.17%), and 1.0% of them were completely condemned due to tuberculosis, that also affected 3.28% of lungs. These data could aid authorities draw up programmes with the aim to strengthen cattle production, improve beef supply, control and prevent the observed diseases, and promote the regional trade

Prevalence of bovine tuberculosis at the SODEPA Douala abattoir, Cameroon (1995 – 2003)

This paper reviews tuberculosis and other pathological cases of slaughtered cattle recorded in “SODEPA” (Société de Développement et d'Exploitations des Productions Animales) Douala abattoir from April 1995 – May 2003 to determine the status of Bovine tuberculosis and other pathological conditions in Zebu cattle. Out of a total of 385,784 (3782.20 ± 425.02) zebu cattle slaughtered during this period, 3,893 (20.17 ± 25.35) pathological lesions were recorded with 81.53 % (3174; 32.72 ± 30.30) of them being due to tuberculosis. Prevalence rates of 1.01% for all the cases put together, 0.82% for tuberculosis alone and 0.19% for the non-tuberculosis cases were obtained for the 8-year study period. The other 18.47% (719; 7.90 ± 5.80) of non-tuberculosis cases were made up of liver (76.77%), non-tuberculosis lung (10.29%), cysticercosis (5.98%), enlarged kidney (2.50%), traumatic (2.22%) and pericardiac (2.22%) lesions. Bovine tuberculosis lesions were generally 3 – 5 times more prevalent (P< 0.05) than the other lesions combined. Although the rates of occurrence of the pathological cases were highest in April and September of 1997 and 1998, there was no significant association between cases and season. The paper therefore confirms that bovine tuberculosis is endemic in Cameroon and suggests that systematic knowledge on the biodiversity of the causative agents, epidemiology and control of the disease as well as the interrelationship between animal and human tuberculosis should be updated. Keywords: Zebu cattle, pathological lesions, tuberculosis, prevalence, abattoir, Douala- Cameroon Cameroon Journal of Experimental Biology Vol. 1(2) 2005: 116-12

Microbial populations during maize storage in Cameroon

Key microbiota of maize kernels from two farms in Cameroon were characterised at harvest and during five months of drying / storage in firewood kitchens. Moulds populations shifted from Fusarium sp. to Penicillium and Aspergillus during drying, and aflatoxigenic moulds were absent. Lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum, Leuconostoc citreum) were only present earlier on, and Enterobacteriaceae became dominant. Common yeasts were Candida quercitrusa (early storage) and Meyerozyma guilliermondii (late storage). Strains of L. plantarum and M. guilliermondii are known to inhibit mould growth and could be used in an energy-efficient system for moist-storage of maize kernels.Keywords: Maize, mycotoxins, mould, yeast, lactic acid bacteria, biocontro

Effect of castration and protein level of diet on the growth performance of piglets

A study designed to investigate the effect of dietary protein level and castration on growth performance of weaner pigs was conducted using crossbred piglets (Large white x landrace) of forty days of age and 7,50 kg average live weight. A total of 24 piglets (12 castrated and 12 non castrated) were divided into 3 experimental treatments with four piglets per treatment. The treatments corresponded to three dietary crude protein (CP) levels of 14,26, 16,49 and 20,4 % CP. The main findings of the study showed that there was a linear increase in feed consumption with increasing levels of protein in the diet. Irrespective of treatment, uncastrated piglets consumed more feed than castrated piglets. Increase in the dietary crude protein level and castration were observed to significantly (