Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in some Nigerian rasted plant foods

Thirteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were identified and quantified in three different roasted plant foods (Zea mays, Dioscorea rotundata and Musa paradisiaca) using a rapid method involving microwave assisted saponification and simultaneous extraction followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation and spectrofluorometric detection. The method applied had good recovery and repeatability characteristcs. With respect to raw samples, roasted samples had higher contamination levels with a maximum benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) content of 0.6 \u3bcg kg-1 dry weight. Roasted Zea mays had the highest low molecular weight- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (LMW-PAH) load of 31.2 \u3bcg kg-1 dry weight, which may be due to the fact that the charred portions after roasting are not usually subjected to scrapping, an exercise which is usually carried out on other roasted plant foods. Anyways, PAHs exposure due to the consumption of roasted plant foods may not pose serious concerns for human health, especially as they are low in heavy molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HMW-PAHs)

Investigation of Amino and Fatty Acid Characterisation of Thevetia peruviana (Milk Bush) Seed

This study examined the amino acid profile and fatty acid analysis of Milk bush (thevetia peruviana) seed. The seeds were ground into very fine powder using three processing techniques. The parameters of interest were carried out using standard methods. The results of both essential and non-essential amino acids showed that the total essential amino acid content in oven-dried seed sample (OD.S), airdried seed sample (AD.S) and sun-dried seed sample (SD.S) were within the WHO Standard. It was observed that eighteen out of the twenty amino acids content of food were present in the seed with glutamic acid having the highest value, followed by aspartate and arginine. Also the eight essential amino acid needed in the daily diet were all present in the sample (arginine, valine, histidine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, phenylanine, threonine, tryptophan and leucine). There were reductions in the level of some amino acids as a result of the processing treatments. The fatty acid analysis also revealed that the sample contained both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The unsaturated fatty acids for oven-dried, sun-dried and air-dried are 60.89, 2.21 and 20.47 respectively while the saturated fatty acids for oven-dried , sun-dried and air dried 26.15, 3.29 and 35.61 respectively. The result suggested that thevetia peruviana contains high quality protein and the oil is a good source of unsaturation which increases the shelf life and edibility of the oil. Keywords: Amino acid; Fatty acid; Characterization; Processing techniques; Milk-bush see

Combinatorial Effect of Process Parameters on the Rate of Biogas Production and Rate of Substrate Degradation Following Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste and Rumen Content

In this study, the combinatorial effect of process parameters on the rate of biogas production and rate of substrate degradation following anaerobic digestion of food waste and rumen content using mixture design (Combined I-optimal) within the Design Expert (version 13) environment. Results showed that the rate of biogas production, rate of bio-methane production and rate of substrate degradation inside the 100 bio-digesters ranged from 0 to 38.04 L/Kg VS, 0 to 23.14 L/Kg VS and 0 to 79.20 %, respectively. The highest rate of biogas production (38.04 L/Kg VS), highest rate of bio-methane production (23.14 L/Kg VS) and highest rate of substrate degradation (79.20 %) were observed in bio-digester 57 at food waste (0.30 kg), rumen content (0.30 kg), water content (0.40 kg), temperature (34.0oC), pH (9.0), number bio-digester of agitation per day (4 time/day) and retention time (32 days), respectively. The rate of biogas/bio-methane production and rate of substrate degradation can vary, with varying process factors/parameters in anaerobic digestion processes. Bio-digesters with anaerobic co-digestion of the food waste and rumen content appeared to be significantly more productive in terms of biogas/bio-methane production rate and substrate degradation rate compared to the bio-digesters with anaerobic mono-digestion of either food waste or rumen content regardless of the presence other process factors/parameters within the boundaries of this investigation

In vitro profiling and functional assessments of the anti-diabetic capacity of phenolic-rich extracts of <i>Bulbine natalensis</i> and <i>Bulbine frutescens</i>

AimsBulbine natalensis (BN) and Bulbine frutescens (BF) are recommended in South African traditional medicine to treat diabetes, but their modes of action are unknown. This study assessed the phenolic acid profiles, mineral composition and in vitro functional effects of BN and BF to better understand their glucose-lowering capabilities.MethodsPhenolic acid and mineral composition of BN and BF methanolic extracts were determined by HPLC and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy respectively. Antioxidant capacity was assessed by potassium ferricyanide reducing power and 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assays, and inhibition of alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, pancreatic lipase and DPP4 was evaluated by standard enzyme assays. The effects of BN and BF extracts on insulin secretion were investigated using static incubations of isolated mouse islets and molecular docking analysis was used to identify interactions of BN and BF with partners that could mediate stimulatory effects on insulin secretion.ResultsMethanolic extracts of BN and BF contained high concentrations of protocatechuic and gallic acids, and high levels of Zn, Mn and Cr. The extracts inhibited alpha-glucosidase, alpha-amylase, pancreatic lipase and DPP4 activities, and they also inhibited free radical generation. Both extracts significantly potentiated glucose-stimulated insulin secretion without significantly affecting basal insulin secretion or islet cell viability. Protocatechuic acid, the most abundant phenolic acid in the extracts, showed high affinity for PKA, PKC, DPP4 and CaMK II in the docking analysis.ConclusionsBN and BF have multiple beneficial effects on glucoregulatory pathways and they, or their derivatives, could be developed to treat type 2 diabetes.</p

An Analysis of the Thunderstorm and Disturbance Lines Induced Rainstorm in Ibadan, Nigeria

Rainstorms being the single most important physical environmental factor affecting agricultural activities in Nigeria has provoked many climatological studies. Analyses of rainstorms over Nigeria have however largely been confined to the rainstorm characteristics relevant to moisture availability for agricultural purposes in which the indices of seasonality and variability weremainly employed. The characteristics–the sequence of rainstorm events, duration of rainstorms, rainfall amount, rainfall intensity and the areal coverage of rainstorm events due to thunderstorm and those due to disturbance lines–which determine the exact amount of moisture available, have been relatively neglected. The present study, based on an analysis of 154 rainstorms recorded in Ibadan between 2013 and 2014, is an attempt to examine the effect of these characteristics–duration of rainstorms, rainfall amount and rainfall intensity on areal coverage of rainstorms in Ibadan, Nigeria. Daily rainstorms data, especially the sequence of rainstorm events (percentage), duration of rainstorms (minutes), rainfall amount (millimetre) and the rainfall intensity(millimeter/hour) were processed for 50 rain gauge stations. The areal coverage of rainstorms (square kilometre) was determined using the square method. Data collected were analysed using multiple regression at p≤0.05. The results indicated a close relationship between a number of rainstorm characteristics. In fact, the correlation coefficient produced between the rainstorms characteristics, showed that a close relationship exist between the duration and rainfall amount, and between the rainfall amount and intensity due to thunderstorm and those due to disturbance lines, which were highly significant (.000 and .000). The results of the analysis showed among other things that the duration of rainstorms, rainfall amount and rainfall intensity were significantly contributed to the areal coverage of rainstorms, though the predictors did not significantly explained the areal coverage of rainstorms in Ibadan.&nbsp

The influence of religion and culture on women’s rights to property in Nigeria

The paper seeks to establish the role of religion and culture in the realization of women’s rights to property in Nigeria. It begins by affirming that protecting women’s rights to property in Nigeria is a fundamental step towards achieving the 5th Sustainable Development Goal of gender equality. The promotion and protection of these rights in any society are determined by several factors such as the customs, prevailing traditions, as well as the religious laws that control behavioral patterns in that society. In discussing this within the Nigerian context, the paper explores the tenets of Christianity and Islam that govern women’s rights to property. The study used secondary data derived from articles that were sourced from Google Scholar. A total of nine articles was reviewed. The paper reveals that, culturally, women are viewed as inferior to men, and a male-child is generally celebrated and allotted higher portions of properties. However, the tenets of both Islam and Christianity do not disregard the woman in terms of property rights. The authors suggest that the prevailing discrimination against women has no religion backing, but a misguided exploitation of the low educational status of women in Nigeria

SOCIO-ECONOMIC PREDICTORS OF CHILD LABOUR:IMPLICATIONS ON SCHOOLING IN NIGERIA

Child labour is one of the global issues occupying the forefront of national development agendas.While the traditionalist believe it is capable of augmenting family income for family upkeep andserves as alternative means of livelihood, it is adjudged in this modern era as impediment to childschooling, violation of child rights, engenders vicious cycle of poverty, deprivation in health andsocial status. The study therefore investigated the predictors of children’s involvement in childlabour, its impact on school enrolment and quality of education in Nigeria. It employed onlyquantitative research technique. The respondents were selected using purposive and accidentalsampling techniques. The opinion of 130 working children (between the ages of 5 and 14) weresought about the likely predictors for working and its impact on schooling. The findings from thestudy revealed that there are significant relationships between parents’ educational attainment,type of parents occupation and the practice of child labour (X2 = 25.89, P = 0.0001). The studyattributed poor school performance as an adverse effect of child labour as indicated by the workingschool children. The study concludes that parents must take responsibility for their children whilegovernment enforce laws against child labour and the implementation of free compulsory educationfor all children

Plant disease management : leveraging on the plant-microbe-soil interface in the biorational use of organic amendments

Agriculture is faced with many challenges including loss of biodiversity, chemical contamination of soils, and plant pests and diseases, all of which can directly compromise plant productivity and health. In addition, inadequate agricultural practices which characterize conventional farming play a contributory role in the disruption of the plant-microbe and soil-plant interactions. This review discusses the role of organic amendments in the restoration of soil health and plant disease management. While the use of organic amendments in agriculture is not new, there is a lack of knowledge regarding its safe and proper deployment. Hence, a biorational approach of organic amendment use to achieve sustainable agricultural practices entails the deployment of botanicals, microbial pesticides, and organic minerals as organic amendments for attaining plant fitness and disease suppression. Here, the focus is on the rhizosphere microbial communities. The role of organic amendments in stimulating beneficial microbe quorum formation related to the host-plant-pathogen interactions, and its role in facilitating induced systemic resistance and systemic-acquired resistance against diseases was evaluated. Organic amendments serve as soil conditioners, and their mechanism of action needs to be further elaborated to ensure food safety

Vegetation change across the Drake Passage region linked to late Eocene cooling and glacial disturbance after the Eocene-Oligocene transition

The role and climatic impact of the opening of the Drake Passage and how it affected both marine and terrestrial environments across the Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT ∼34 Ma) period remains poorly understood. Here we present new terrestrial palynomorph data compared with recently compiled lipid biomarker (n-alkane) data from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 113, Site 696, drilled on the margin of the South Orkney Microcontinent (SOM) in the Weddell Sea, to investigate changes in terrestrial environments and palaeoclimate across the late Eocene and early Oligocene (∼37.6-32.2 Ma). Early late Eocene floras and sporomorph-based climate estimates reveal Nothofagus-dominated forests growing under wet temperate conditions, with mean annual temperature (MAT) and precipitation (MAP) around 12 C and 1802 mm respectively. A phase of latest Eocene terrestrial cooling at 35.5 Ma reveals a decrease in MAT by around 1.4 C possibly linked to the opening of the Powell Basin. This is followed by an increase in reworked Mesozoic sporomorphs together with sedimentological evidence indicating ice expansion to coastal and shelf areas approximately 34.1 Myr ago. However, major changes to the terrestrial vegetation at Site 696 did not take place until the early Oligocene, where there is a distinct expansion of gymnosperms and cryptogams accompanied by a rapid increase in taxon diversity and a shift in terrestrial biomarkers reflecting a change from temperate forests to cool temperate forests following 33.5 Ma. This surprising expansion of gymnosperms and cryptogams is suggested to be linked to environmental disturbance caused by repeat glacial expansion and retreat, which facilitated the proliferation of conifers and ferns. The timing of glacial onset at Site 696 is linked to the global cooling at the EOT, yet the latest Eocene regional cooling cannot directly be linked to the observed vegetation changes. Therefore, our vegetation record provides further evidence that the opening of the Drake Passage and Antarctic glaciation were not contemporaneous, although stepwise cooling in response to the opening of ocean gateways surrounding the Antarctic continent may have occurred prior to the EOT.Nick Thompson received funding from the Natural Environment Research Council from a NERC-funded Doctoral Training Partnership ONE Planet (grant no. NE/S007512/1). Funding for this research was also provided by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant nos. CTM2014-60451-C2- 1/2-P and CTM2017-89711-C2-1/2-P) cofunded by the European Union through FEDER funds. Peter K. Bijl received funding from the European Research Council (OceaNice (grant no. 802835))