Assessment of microbial quality and detection of extended spectrum β-lactamase genes in Gram-negative bacterial isolates of herbal mixtures commonly hawked in Sagamu metropolis, Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: The use of herbal mixtures in the treatment of diseases is on the rise. Many of these herbal drugs are not produced under hygienic conditions and safety issues associated with herbal medicines may have an exacerbated impact in immunocompromised and elderly individuals. This study aimed to determine the microbial loads of locally prepared herbal mixtures and detect extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) genes  in any isolated Gram-negative bacteria pathogen. Methodology: Fifty local herbal mixtures were purchased randomly from three locations in Sagamu town (Sagamu market, Ita-Oba Road and Isale  Oko) in Ogun State, Nigeria. The mean total viable bacterial (MTVB), mean total coliform (MTC), and mean total fungal (MTF) counts were  determined by the plate count method. The bacterial isolates were streaked on differential bacteriological media while the fungi isolates were  grown on potato dextrose agar. The isolates were identified upon growth on culture media using conventional biochemical tests. Antibiotic  susceptibility pattern of the isolates was determined using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique. Phenotypic detection of ESBL was done by the  modified double disc synergy test followed by amplification detection of blaTEM, blaCTX-M and blaSHV genes with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)  assay. Results: Bacteria and fungi were isolated from 38 (76.0%) and 25 (50.0%) of the herbal samples respectively. Ten (20.0%) and 14 (28.0%) of the  samples had mean bacterial and fungal load that exceeded 105CFU/mL or g, respectively. Nineteen (38.0%) of the herbal samples analyzed had total  coliforms. Fifty-one isolates belonging to eight bacterial genera and 28 fungi isolates belonging to four fungal genera were obtained. Thirty-  two (62.7%) of the bacterial isolates were Gram-negative while 19 (37.3%) isolates were Gram-positive. Staphylococcus aureus was the most  common bacterial isolate (33.3%) while Aspergillus species was the most prevalent fungus (60.7%). Sixteen (84.2%) S. aureus and 26 (81.3%) Gram- negative isolates were multidrug resistant, and 6 (18.8%) of 32 Gram-negative isolates were ESBL producers. ESBL-encoding genes were detected in  7 (27%) of the 26 multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria with TEM and SHV being the most prevalent 4 (14.8%) while CTX-M was identified in  only one isolate. Conclusion: This study reported the presence of microbial contaminants which exceeded the safety limits of 105 CFU/g according  to World Health Organization. The use of locally prepared herbal medicines poses a major health risk due to the lack of microbial quality standards.&nbsp

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF STORAGE STABILITY OF GINGER-GARLIC AND CHEMICAL PRESERVATION ON FRUIT JUICE BLENDS

The study aimed at reduction of wastage of fruit, encourage production, consumption and preservation of fruit juice blends using garlic ginger filtrate with health benefits as biopreservative thus providing alternatives with biological advantage over chemical preservatives (ascorbic and benzoate acids) without altering the organoleptic and physicochemical properties of fruit juice blends. The study evaluated the potential of natural preservatives (ginger, garlic and ginger-garlic filtrates) in comparison with two conventional chemical preservatives (ascorbic and benzoate acids) for fruit juice blends preservation. The juice blend used was cashew, pineapple and watermelon. In terms of flavor and mouth feel, the order of preference of the juice were the preserved with 1% garlic-ginger > 1% ginger > 1% garlic > 1% ascorbic acid > and preserved with 1% sodium benzoate at ambient temperature. Maximum decrease in pH was observed in the juice sample that had no added preservative. Generally, all the fruit blends (preserved and unpreserved), with the exception of the one preserve with 1% ginger-garlic showed growth of bacteria after one week of storage. Juice blends preserved with the 1% ginger-garlic were most acceptable compared to other preservatives. The synergistic biopreservative ability observed with the ginger-garlic may be a preferable alternative to conventional preservatives

Inhibitory potentials of five botanicals on associated fungi in relation to germination and morphological characters of Cucumis sativus Linn

The in vitro assay of the leaf extracts of selected botanicals was carried out to assess the inhibitory potentials of the extracts on fungal growth, seed germination, seedling growth characters and frequency of seed-borne fungi. selected plants include: Azadirachta. indica, Moringa oleifera, Vernonia amygdalina, Tithonia diversifolia and Carica papaya. Fungal isolates characterized from Cucumis sativus were Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Trichoderma viride and Nigrospora sphaerica. Azadirachta indica had the highest percentage inhibitory effect at p ≤ 0.01 on F. oxysporum (82.21%), while Moringa oleifera had the highest inhibition of 68.72% on T. viride, but not significantly different from T. diversifolia. Seeds treated with C. papaya extract produced the highest seedling length, germination and seedling vigour, while control was least. Concentration of 10% produced significant highest seedling (17.72cm), root length (11.59cm), percentage germination (82.67%) and seedling vigour (1469.08). Seedling length is positive and strongly correlated with shoot length, root length and seedlingvigour with r = 0.87, 0.67 and 0.89 respectively. Seedling vigour is positive and strongly associated with seedling length (0.89), shoot length (0.72) and root length (0.67). Keywords: botanical extracts, Cucumis sativus, fungi, growth respons