A preliminary investigation into the post harvest losses of fish in Shiroro Lake area

The findings are presented of a study conducted to assess the post harvest losses in Shiroro Lake, Nigeria. The major objectives were to identify and quantify the types of losses, to provide recommendations that would enhance formulation of policy guidelines for utilization and exploitation of the declining fishery resources of the lak

A preliminary investigation into the effect of different storage methods on the keeping quality of smoked Oreochromis niloticus

The study was carried out to asses the nutritional qualities of smoked O. niloticus and to discover the best methods of storage to minimize spoilage and infestation of smoked fish. Result showed that the protein contents in A and D decreased while the protein contents of b and C increased. The lipid content increased only in A while it decreased in B-C and D. The moisture content generally increased over the period of storage and there was an increase in ash content only in C while it decreased in A, B and D. The samples packed in polythene bag suffered about 35% mould infection and a few were attached by rodents with some fouling. Samples packed in jute bag were in good condition but were slightly attached by insect. All samples packed in carton and basket were still in good state but there were insect attack in those packed in carto

Nutritive evaluation of enclosed salted-solar dried Oreochromis niloticus

This study investigated the effect of enclosed solar drying on the nutritive quality of unsalted and salted Oreochromis niloticus. Sensory and proximate evaluations were carried out on the salted and unsalted fish after drying. Acceptability, appearance, colour, odour, taste and texture of salted and unsalted fish differed significantly (P< O.05). The moisture, protein lipid and ash contents differed significantly (P< O.05. All dried fish samples from the enclosed dryers showed high levels of acceptability and protein content. However, fish samples brined at 25% and dried using Solar Tent Dryer had the highest acceptability and protein content

Nutritive quality and microbial assessment of stored smoked dried Gymnarchus niloticus Cuvier, 1829

The Proximate composition and Microbial load of smoke-dried Gymnarchus niloticus from Mobil fish market Minna Niger state was&nbsp; assessed to study changes related to belated consumption over a period of 28 days. A total of 15 fish samples shared from different&nbsp; traders were assessed. Values of proximate composition were significantly different (p&lt;0.05) through the study. The crude protein and ash increased from 56.19 (Day 1) to 85.96 (Day 28) and 9.94 (Day 1) to 17.12 (Day 28) respectively while the moisture and lipid declined from 15.14 (Day 1) to 5.43 (Day 28) and 24.09 (Day 1) to 9.82 (Day 28) respectively. Mineral contents: Na, K, Ca and Fe&nbsp; changed significantly (p&lt;0.05). Microbiological properties fluctuated through the period of assessment but were within acceptable limits. The fungi isolated were Penicillium and Aspergillus niger, while the bacterial species identified were Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella spp and E. coli. The nutritive quality of the smoke-dried Gymnarchus niloticus was wholesome at the time of purchase however the decline in lipid and presence of potentially harmful microorganism makes it of relatively reduced quality and potentially harmful for direct consumption after 28 days of storage under ambient conditions

Assessment of physico-chemical parameters of River Kaduna and College of Agriculture and Animal Science Dam, (CAAS) Kaduna, Nigeria

River Kaduna is one of the major sources of water to the inhabitants of the communities around the river and also to fish farmers while College of Agriculture and Animal Science Dam (CAAS) is used for fish farming and also for domestic purpose. The study was carried out to assess Physicochemical Parameters of River Kaduna and College of Agriculture and Animal Science Dam, Kaduna. The result of seasonal variation of physicochemical parameters between River Kaduna and College of Agriculture and Animal Science Dam, revealed that the atmospheric temperature (AT) ranged from 32.8 to 33.60C, pH at 7.1, conductivity ranged from 83.7 to 139.7µs/cm, dissolved oxygen ranged from 9.2 to 9.4 mg/l, biological oxygen demand ranged from 5.2 to 5.9 mg/l, water temperature (WT) at 29.20C, total hardness ranged from 37.4 to 58.0 mg/l, alkalinity ranged from 18.8 ton29.7 mg/l, chloride ranged from 14.8 to 15.9 mg/l, nitrate and phosphorus ranged from 0.1 to 0.2 mg/l while transparency ranged from 21.4 to 22.3 cm respectively. The seasonal variation result revealed that both at the Dam and river, AT, pH, DO, WT, Chloride, Nitrate, Phosphorus and Transparency values were not significantly different while conductivity, BOD, TH, Alkalinity and Ammonia were significantly different. However, they were significantly difference from one month to another (wet and dry season months respectively).Keywords: Physico-chemical parameters, River Kaduna, CAAS Da

Bacteriological assessment of smoked fish (Clarias Sp.) around Shiroro Lake area of Niger State, Nigeria

Bacteria has been implicated in food poisoning, and smoked fish is not an exception.Generally, fish is highly susceptible to spoilage; therefore this study evaluated the bacteria load in smoked fish from three major locations in Shiroro area of Niger State namely; Gwada, Kuta and Zumba.The smoked fish samples collected from these locations were smeared at both the gills and head regions of the fishes. The bacteria samples identified were Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Samonella typhi, which were common to all the three locations sampled, while only Streptococcus feacaliswas only was found to be present in both Kuta and Zumba location.The frequency of occurrence of these 68 bacteria samples isolated ranges from 8 - 20%, with Bacillius subtilis having the highest occurrence and Pseudomonas aeruginosa have the least occurrence. Out of the total 68 samples, 14 skin samples (20.6%) and 5 gills samples (7.4%) exceeded the acceptable limits of total mesophilic aerobic counts which were 106 - 107 cfu/g. In the case of total coliform counts, 12 skin samples (17.6%) and 7 gills samples (10.3%) exceeded the acceptable limit which is 4.0 x 102, while in the case of Staphylococcus aureus, 4 skin samples (5.9%) and 2 gills samples (2.9%) exceeded the acceptable limit which is 103 cfu/g. Similarly 3 skin samples (4.4%) and 1 gill sample (1.5%) exceeded the acceptable limit of Salmonella typhi which is 104 cfu/g