ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIALS OF SOIL FUNGI METABOLITES, MOLECULAR DYNAMICS AND THEIR 3D PROTEIN STRUCTURAL PREDICTION USING BIOINFORMATICS TOOL

Objective: To determine the antimicrobial potentials of secondary metabolite of soil fungi and predict their 3D structure and molecular identity. Methods: Pure soil fungi were isolated from soil samples and cultured under submerged fermentation (Smf) for their metabolites using Potato Dextrose Agar and Broth. The secondary metabolites of the isolated fungi were obtained intracellularly after 21 d of incubation in a rotary shaker incubator. The antimicrobial potentials of the metabolites were investigated against four (4) clinical isolates, namely: Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella spp, Candida albicans and Escherichia coli. These soil fungi were further characterized to the molecular level and their evolutionary relationships established using bioinformatics tools. Protein structure of each of the fungi isolates was predicted using PHYRE-2. Results: Out of all the soil fungi isolated, the metabolite of Aspergillus aculeatus showed the highest antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus (23.00±2.34 mm), Escherichia coli (9.00±1.44 mm) and Klebsiella spp (24.00±3.45 mm). The 3D protein structure predicted showed that each of the organisms consists of different amino-acid compositions such as: serine, tyrosine, proline, arginine, glycine, phenylalanine leucine with other notable biological properties. Conclusion: The work revealed that secondary metabolites of the isolated fungi carry an important role in combating infectious agents thereby, providing roadmaps for the biosynthesis of many synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs and bio-products which are environmentally friendly

Mycomeat Production through the Solid State Fermentation of Soymilk Waste by Lentinus Subnudus

Lentinus subnudus was cultured on soy milk waste with the view of using it to produce edible mycomeat. The solid state fermentation of soymilk waste was done singly without any additive. The basal substrate was then variously constituted with 5 g/l each of sucrose, citric acid and yeast extract. The set-ups were incubated in the dark and monitored daily until full ramification was obtained. The best mycomeat obtained within the shortest time frame was oven dried at 600C and then blended to powder. The pH, proximate and mineral composition of the mycomeat was determined. L. subnudus grown on soymilk wastes took only 11 days in which the resultant mycomeat of L. subnudus was found to be meaty-like in appearance and aroma. Oven-dried samples became coarse in texture with a pH of 3.91. Proximate analysis of the mycomeat showed 2.13% moisture content, 14.44% crude protein, 51.8% carbohydrate 9.56% crude fibre, 15.82% ether extract and 5.75% ash content. The percentage mineral composition revealed it to contain; Ca2+ (0.62±0.02), Mg2+ (0.03±0.01), K+ (0.06±0.01) Na+ (15.90±0.30), Mn2+ (8.20±0.04), Fe 2+ (19.22±0.21), CU2+ (2.74±0.02) , Zn2+ (7.17±0.01) Mo2+ (0.05±0.01) and Vitamin C (0.24±0.01). The resultant mycomeat represents a viable source of nutraceuticals . Keywords: Mycomeat, Lentinus subnudus, soymilk waste, mineral composition, proximate analysis

AMINO ACID COMPOSITION AND ANTI-TYROSINASE ACTIVITY OF METABOLITES FROM EDIBLE Pleurotus SPECIES FOR THEIR NUTRITIONAL AND THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL

Mushrooms are being extensively researched due to their nutritional value and medicinal importance. The genus Pleurotus is the second most cultivated mushroom and is known for its high nutritional value, therapeutic properties, taste, flavor, as well as their application in biotechnology and environmental study. Also, tyrosinase is prevalent in most living organisms. The enzyme catalyzes the oxidation of monophenols to ortho-quinones in a two-step reaction process. This study was aimed to assess the amino acid composition and anti-tyrosinase activity of metabolites obtained from edible Pleurotus species. Assessment of the nutritional content and inhibitory studies of mushroom tyrosinase produced from four Pleurotus strains was carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The results of the study showed that seventeen different amino acids were identified in the crude and partially purified protein metabolites. Also, the crude extract metabolite had the highest quantity of amino acids than the partially purified. The highest and lowest amino acids value Glutamic acid (1343.26 µmol/mL) and valine (0.34 µmol/mL). The anti-tyrosinase inhibition studies of the four Pleurotus strains showed varying results from significantly inhibitory effects to slightly inhibitory effects on mushroom tyrosinase. The highest inhibition was 14.86% (Pleu-W), while the lowest inhibition was 51.42% (Plof-30) respectively. The high point of this study is that the Pleurotus species contains a significant number of amino acids and also, they possess good anti-tyrosinase activity. Therefore, these are a good source of nutritional and therapeutic metabolites and these can be explored further for their nutritional and medicinal importance to man

PRELIMINARY STUDY ON POTENTIAL EDIBLE COATINGS DERIVED FROM CARBOXYL METHYLCELLULOSE AND FUNGI CULTURED METABOLITES ON THE SHELF-LIFE EXTENSION OF SWEET-ORANGE (CITRUS SINENSIS)

This study focused on assessing the potential of formulated edible coatings derived from a metabolite of Trichoderma viride and Penicillium chrysogenum, combined with carboxyl methylcellulose (CMC) on the postharvest storage quality of orange fruits. The cultured metabolite of fungal bioagents combined with CMC, as well as glycerol (plasticizer), inadequate solution ratio based on wettability, was evaluated for microbiological quality and shelf-life extension of sweet orange. Thereafter, ascorbic acid, total soluble solids, pH, percentage weight loss, among other parameters were assessed for 7 weeks. The results of the study revealed that the pH of CMC + Trichoderma viride and CMC + P. chrysogenum coatings had 3.8 ± 0.02 and 3.17 ± 0.06 respectively, while it was reported 2.90 ± 0.04 for uncoated treatment. Also, the ascorbic acid and total soluble solids of the edible coated oranges were higher than the control. In addition, the percentage of weight loss was higher in the uncoated control compared to the potential edible coated oranges. Further, the microbial load count of the potential edible-coated oranges was less compared to the un-coated oranges. In conclusion, this formulated potential edible coating could be further improved upon and optimized for use in prolonging the storage of sweet oranges