Effect of drying methods on the rheological characteristics and colour of yam flours

The effect of drying methods (sun and oven-drying) on the rheological properties and colour of amala, a thick paste from yam flour, was investigated using two varieties of yam (Dioscorea rotundata andDioscorea alata). The yam flour produced was later reconstituted to produce amala of different pasting characteristics, textural qualities and colour. D. rotundata produced amala of higher paste viscosities,and firmer gels were produced from D. rotundata than yam flour paste produced from D. alata. A higher water binding capacity (156.7%) was observed in yam flour paste produced from D. alata as comparedwith that of D. rotundata, while no significant difference was observed in the solubility index and swelling power of the two varieties. Blanching, a unit operation in yam flour processing, has a significant effect on the pasting characteristics of the reconstituted flour. It reduces the peak viscosity, holding strength, final viscosity, set back and elasticity but it has little or no significant effect on the adhesiveness, smoothness and cohesiveness of the paste. Sun and oven drying had no effect on thepasting characteristics or physicochemical properties. However, yam flour produced using sun drying method had a more elastic paste and a higher brown-index

Effects of crude ethanolic extract of Garcinia cambogia on the reproductive system of male wistar rats (

15 male rats were grouped and administered crude ethanolic extracts of Garcinia cambogia seeds to test the effects on the histology of the testis and sperm counts. Group A served as the control while Groups B and C received 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight of extracts, respectively. The administration was done orally once a day, six days a week for six weeks. The routine histological preparation at the end of administration revealed increase in the interstitial spaces, degeneration of the Ledgid cells anddistortion in the arrangement of the cells of spermatogenic series. The sperm counts revealed a significant increase in the experimental groups when compared statistically with the control (

Barriers to adoption of biogenic carbonates in the food, pharmaceutical & supplement sectors

There is an increasing demand for environmentally sustainable sourcing of ingredients for the food, pharmaceutical and supplements industries. In the case of calcium carbonate (E170) as by-products from the egg and shellfish processing industries these have the potential to be sustainably sourced. In addition to their green credentials, biogenic carbonates have intrinsic benefits in terms of their chemical composition, such as a low heavy metal burden. However, their biogenic origin can potentially lead to manufacturing issues such as higher levels of co-mineralising components and the organic templates of their natural production. This contribution identifies the regulatory barriers to the adoption of biogenic eggshell calcium carbonate by assessing materials from biological sources along with commercial precipitated and ground carbonates against current regulatory standards

Visual Hazards Associated With Using Computers

The aim of the study was to determine the hazards associated with using computers. A survey of 100 computer users working in business centers in Ilorin, Kwara State was done. Some of the visual hazards noted included; headache, eye redness, eye ache, double (blurred) vision, diminishing vision, eye watering and eye itching (irritation). 58% of the computer users had at least one visual hazard in this investigation. There was no correlation between viewing distance and visual hazards. Screen filter was shown to have minimal effect in reducing visual problems according to this study. Visual hazards were significantly related to the age of the operator and increase in hours spent on the computer per day was shown to be proportional to the occurrence of visual hazards.Keywords; Visual hazards, Video terminal display, between two distinct points at a particular distance. The EyesThe Tropical Journal of Health Sciences Vol 19 No 1 (January 2012

Stock density and fruit yield of African walnut, Plukenetia conophora Mull-Arg (Syn. Tetracarpidium conophorum) in tropical lowland rainforests of southwest Nigeria

Despite the huge socio-economic potentials of the African walnut, Plukenetia conophora Mull-Arg, there is a dearth of information on stock density and yield studies under different site conditions. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the stock density and fruit yields of P. conophora in three different habitats (i.e. less disturbed natural forest, recently disturbed natural forest and plantation forest) within Omo Forest Reserve (OFR) and Shasha Forest Reserve (SFR) of Nigeria. Stratified random sampling technique was used to carry out inventory survey. Fruit yields were determined by collecting fruit falls through double sampling approach. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analyzing the data at P = 0.05. Stock densities of P. conophora were 5.33+1.7stands/ha, 14.67+2.05stands/ha and 16.00+2.94stands/ha in OFR, while they were 7.33+0.47stands/ha, 14.67+1.25stands/ha and 10.67+04.7stands/ha in SFR for recently disturbed forest, less disturbed forest and plantation forest respectively. There were significant differences in number and distribution of species by forest types, but not between forest reserves. The mean yield of P. conophora/ha/yr was estimated at 7,800.00kg for OFR and 6,534.00kg for SFR. Yields from plantation area contributed more in OFR, while yields from less disturbed natural forest area were higher in SFR. Yields from recently disturbed natural forest were consistently lower in the two reserves. These results show that P. conophora thrives better in plantation and old re-growth forests. This information is pertinent towards improving the management of the species, increase its productivity and enhance benefits in a more sustainable manner to the rural populace

Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in Ilorin, Nigeria

216 patients who presented at the Metabolic Clinic of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, between January 2003 and December 2003 were recruited for this study. Pregnant subjects had an extended oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) performed according to the National Diabetes Data Group (NDDG) recommended procedure using 100gm glucose loading, while the rest had a standard OGTT performed according to WHO recommended procedure using 75gm glucose loading. Indications were as follows; 34(15.74%) obstetrics, 164 (75.93%) impaired fasting glucose (IFG), 8(3.70%) unexplained retinopathy, 4(1.85%) previous abnormality of glucose tolerance (PAGT), 2(0.93%) steroid therapy and 4(1.85%) for research. Out of the 34 pregnant subjects, 5(14.71%) had a normal OGTT result, 22(64.71%) had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), 2(5.88%) were diabetic and 5(14.71%) had a flat response. Of the 164 with IFG, 13(7.93%) were normal, 95(57.93%) had IGT, 48(29.27%) diabetic and 8(4.88%) had flat response. 2(25.00%) out of 8 that presented with unexplained retinopathy had DM and the rest 6(75.00%) had IGT. Two (50.00%) of those with PAGT were normal while the rest 2(50.00%) had DM. The two subjects on steroid therapy (100.00%) had IGT. Two (50.00%) of those sent for investigation as part of research had IGT while the rest 2(50.00%) had a flat response. This study shows that about 90% of OGTT requests were made on the basis of IFG and suspected gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) while no requests were made for unexplained neuropathy, unexplained nephropathy and investigation of hypoglycemia. We conclude that there is under utilization of OGTT in the diagnosis of unexplained neuropathy, unexplained nephropathy and unexplained retinopathy in our center. Keywords: OGTT, request pattern, diagnostic outcome The Tropical Journal of Health Sciences Vol. 13(2) 2006: 15-1