Effect of Fermentation on the Anti-Nutritional Factors and

The effect of fermentation on the anti-nutritional factors and mineral composition of melon seed varieties for Ogiri production was studied. Melon seed varieties such as Citrullus vulgaris, Citrulluslanatus, Colocynthiscitrullus, Cucurbita pepo, Cucurmeropisedulis were respectively sorted, washed, boiled wrapped seed were then boiled again for 2 hours, drained, cooled and allowed to ferment naturally for 86 hours (primary fermentation). The primary fermented sees were then pounded and wrapped in little portions with “ofoala” leaf (Icacinatrichantha olive) and kept in wire mesh near a heat source for another 144 hours (secondary fermentation). Samples were drawn from the raw, boiled and fermented melon seed varieties for the quantitative analysis of mineral content and anti-nutritional prepared with the raw and primary fermented samples. Raw seed of Citrulluslanatus had the highest mineral analysis showed a decline in the boiled samples and secondary fermented sample, compared with the raw and mineral composition ranging from potassium, magnesium, cacium, iron and zinc of 1.21, 1.06, 0.89, 0.45 and 0.41mg/100g respectively followed by raw Citrullus Vulgaris with potassium, magenesium, calcium, iron and zinc of 1.18, 1.02, 0.55, 0.44 and 0.38 mg/100g respectively and 1.11, 0.94, 0.81, 0.38 and 0.31 mg/100gof potassium, magenesium, calcium, iron and zinc respectively in the primary fermented product. Statistical analysis of anti-nutrients revealed a significant reduction (p<0.05) in all the processed melon. There was a significant difference in all the processed melon with lowest anti-nutrient content ranging from alkaloid, saponin, HCN, phytate, tannin and flavonoid (0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 0.03and 0.09 respectively) and Colocynthiscitrullus had the highest anti-nutrient content in the secondary fermentation. Keywords:Fermentation, anti-nutritional factors, Ogiri, mineral content,melon seed varieties

Longitudinal Ambient PM<inf>2.5</inf> Measurement at Fifteen Locations in Eight Sub-Saharan African Countries Using Low-Cost Sensors

Peer reviewed: TrueFunder: Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Program scholarshipFunder: Aldama FoundationFunder: NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Lung Health and TB in Africa at LSTM— “IMPALA”Funder: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) using UK aid from the UK Government to support global health researchAir pollution is a major global public health issue causing considerable morbidity and mortality. Measuring levels of air pollutants and facilitating access to the data has been identified as a pathway to raise awareness and initiate dialogue between relevant stakeholders. Low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) urgently need simple, low-cost approaches to generate such data, especially in settings with no or unreliable data. We established a network of easy-to-use low-cost air quality sensors (PurpleAir-II-SD) to monitor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations at 15 sites, in 11 cities across eight sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) countries between February 2020 and January 2021. Annual PM2.5 concentrations, seasonal and temporal variability were determined. Time trends were modelled using harmonic regression. Annual PM2.5 concentrations ranged between 10 and 116 µg/m3 across study sites, exceeding the current WHO annual mean guideline level of 5 µg/m3. The largest degree of seasonal variation was seen in Nigeria, where seven sites showed higher PM2.5 levels during the dry than during the wet season. Other countries with less pronounced dry/wet season variations were Benin (20 µg/m3 versus 5 µg/m3), Uganda (50 µg/m3 versus 45 µg/m3), Sukuta (Gambia) (20 µg/m3 versus 15 µg/m3) and Kenya (30 µg/m3 versus 25 µg/m3). Diurnal variation was observed across all sites, with two daily PM2.5 peaks at about 06:00 and 18:00 local time. We identified high levels of air pollution in the 11 African cities included in this study. This calls for effective control measures to protect the health of African urban populations. The PM2.5 peaks around ‘rush hour’ suggest traffic-related emissions should be a particular area for attention.</jats:p