Characterization of Diesel Degrading Bacterial Species from Contaminated Tropical Ecosystem

The bacterial diversity in a diesel contaminated tropical soil was investigated using diesel oxidation in gradient cultures dynamics (pH and OD) of the pure cultures. The diesel dependent growths of these isolates were assessed for 15 days by monitoring the gradient fluxes in the pH and Optical density OD of the media. Results showed an increase in OD as well as fluctuations in pH values. The mean OD data obtained was 0.515- 1.187 with pH of 6.95- 7.2. From the morphological and biochemical characterization and comparison with respect to the standard references, the isolates S1P1, S3P3, S2P2, S2P1,and S3P2 were presumably the members of the genera Bacillus, Pseudomonas and Mycobacterium species. From the study, it was apparent that the tropical ecosystems contained unique organisms with the ability to deal with diesel contamination

Evaluating the diesel biodegradation potential of wild microfungi isolat-ed from decaying wood in Nigeria

We evaluated the potentials of pure wild microfungi isolated from decaying wood in utilizing diesel as source of carbon/energy and monitoring of their physiological responses via OD and pH gradient fluxes. The fungi diversity was obtained by conventional enrichment culture methods. Pure cultures of tentative fungal species namely: SC1, SC2, SC3, YI and Y2 were tested for their ability to utilize diesel oil as carbon and energy source. From the cultur-al, morphological and biochemical characterization and comparison with respect to the standard reference of fungi, the wild microfungi tentatively named as SC1, SC2, SC3, YI and Y2 were seemingly the members of Penicil-lum, Aspergillus, Mucor, Candida and Cryptococcus species. The diesel de-pendent growth of the pure microfungi was assessed by monitoring the flux-es in the pH and Optical density OD of the minimal media slurry for 288 hours. There were fluctuations in OD as well as pH values for the different microfungi. The mean pH data 5.90 ± 0.01-7.01± 0.01 and the OD 0.349± 0.001 -1.232 ± 0.002 were obtained. The ability of our fungal isolates to tol-erate diesel and grow in it, suggests that the isolates can be employed as bioremediation agent

Growth Dynamics of Bacteria Isolated from Spent Engine Oil Contaminated Tropical Soil

Sites contaminated with spent oil in Canaan land Ota Nigeria were screened for the presence of spent oil degrading bacteria. The method of continual enrichment on the spent oil yielded five pure cultures that were selected for further physiological studies. From the morphological and biochemical characterization and comparison with respect to the standard references, the isolates were most likely the members of the genera Acinetobacter, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Mycobacterium and Pseudomonas species. Time course studies of these organisms on the spent oil monitored by OD and pH fluxes resulted in exponential increases in the turbidity and steady declines in the pH. The mean OD obtained was 0.147±0.052-1.591±0.320 with pH 7.31±0.01-6.30±0.03. From the study, it was evident that bacterial species in tropical ecosystem can be explored for the recovery of sites polluted with spent engine oil

Growth Dynamics of Bacteria Isolated from Spent Engine Oil Contaminated Tropical Soil

Abstract: Sites contaminated with spent oil in Canaan land Ota Nigeria were screened for the presence of spent oil degrading bacteria. The method of continual enrichment on the spent oil yielded five pure cultures that were selected for further physiological studies. From the morphological and biochemical characterization and comparison with respect to the standard references, the isolates were most likely the members of the genera Acinetobacter, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Mycobacterium and Pseudomonas species. Time course studies of these organisms on the spent oil monitored by OD and pH fluxes resulted in exponential increases in the turbidity and steady declines in the pH. The mean OD obtained was 0.147±0.052-1.591±0.320 with pH 7.31±0.01-6.30±0.03. From the study, it was evident that bacterial species in tropical ecosystem can be explored for the recovery of sites polluted with spent engine oil

Antibiogram of Fungal and Bacterial Isolates Associated with Toilet Door Handles in The Students’ Residential Hall at a Nigerian University

In this study, the prevalence of bacterial and fungi species on toilet door handles in male and female hostels and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns were assessed. A total of 48 swab samples were collected, and 21 isolates were identified through cultural, morphological, and biochemical and comparison with standard organisms. Fifty seven percent isolates (57%) were found on female toilet door handles and 43% on the male hostels. The identified isolates included Citrobacter freudii, Enterobacter spp, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus megaterium, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida spp. Antibiotic susceptibility patterns revealed that all isolates were resistant to cefuroxime, cefotaxime, and vancomycin (100% resistance). However, the organisms exhibited high susceptibility to Amikacin (100%), Ciprofloxacin (89%), and Cephalexin (86%)

Prevention of Bacterial Biofilms Formation on Urinary Catheter by Selected Plant Extracts

In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using Psidium guajava, Mangifera indica and Ocimum gratissimum leaf extracts in preventing Escherichia coli biofilm formation. The plants extractions were done with methanol under cold extraction. The various concentrations 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 mg/mL were used to coat 63 catheters under mild heat from water bath. Biofilm formation on the catheter was induced using cultures of E. coli. Biofilm formation was evaluated using aerobic plate count and turbidity at 600 nm. From the obtained results, Psidium guajava, Mangifera indica and Ocimum gratissimum delayed the onset of biofilm formation for a week. Ocimum gratissimum coated catheter had the highest inhibitory effect at 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 mg/mL with bacterial count ranging from 2.2×105 - 7.0×104 and 5.7×105 - 3.7×105 for 120 and 128 hrs respectively. The Psidium guajava coated catheter had the lowest inhibitory effect at 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 mg/mL, with bacterial count ranging between 4.3×105 - 1.9 ×103 and 7.7×105- 3.8×105 for 120 and 128 hrs respectively. Despite the antimicrobial activities, the differences in the activity of these plant extracts were statistically not significant (P < 0.05)

Biodegradation of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by axenic bacterial species belonging to the genera Lysinibacillus and Paenibacillus

The quest for competent degraders of recalcitrant polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for use in sustainable bioremediation technology has justified the execution of this work. In this study, three bacterial strains (FB-1, FB-2 and FB-3) were isolated from a former industrial site in Bloomington, Indiana. The catabolic versatility of these obtained strains was evaluated on some selected PAH-naphthalene, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene. Using the 16S rRNA sequencing analyses, our strains belonged to the family Firmicutes whereby strain FB-1 was identified as Lysinibacillus sp. FB-1, strain FB-2 as Bacterium FB-2 and strain FB-3 as Lysinibacillus fusiformis FB-3. The biodegradation of the selected PAHs was determined using gas chromatography, and the calculated percentage utilization of the selected PAHs varied between 97 and 4%. We further determined the mean biodegradation rates for fluoranthene when supplemented with molasses. The mean biodegradation rates were between (mg L-1 ) 0.214 ± 0.006 and 0.318 ± 0.002, while MSfluoranthene only ranged from (mg L-1) 0.210 ± 0.056 to 0.437 ± 0.176. However, with ANOVA at 5% (P\0.05) there seemed to be no significant difference in the mea

Functional and Nutritive Properties of Spent Grain Enhanced Cookies

The generation of large tonnages of spent grains as byproduct has become major disposal problem in brewing industry. This necessitate sourcing utilization alternatives to complement present use as animal feeds. The incorporation of this brewery spent grain, BSG, into cookie formulations to 15% maximum levels and its effects on the nutritional and functional properties of cookies was investigated. About 6.14% dried and 610 μm milled BSG were added to cookie formulation mix at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15% levels. Other recipes added include: wheat flour, salt, sodium carbonate, water, non-fatty milk and additives. The trace metal content of the blended products were also compared with local and imported cookies. The results obtained indicated free fatty acid, moisture content, extracted fat and sensory evaluation of the final cookies were limited to 6% optimum inclusion while the spread ratio analysis suggested 3% BSG usage. The undesirable flavor of BSG as additives influenced the taste of the cookies to a great extent and did not change the nutritional status of the samples from 6% BSG inclusion. The trace metals statistical analysis of the BSG supplemented cookies compared well with both locally baked and imported cookies (p≤0.05). However, addition of brewery spent grains significantly increased the nutritional properties of the cookies up to 6% level of BSG addition

Nutritive Value of Sorghum Ogi Fortified with Groundnut Seed (Arachis) hypogaea

The utilization of groundnut seed as a constituents of sourghum ogi was investigated by preparing mixtures of ogi with increasing level of groundnut in 0, 25, 50, 70 and 100% addition. The product, sorghum groundnut-ogi was evaluated for proximate composition, titratable acidity and vitamins B. A taste panel evaluation was conducted to evaluate the acceptability of the products. The data obtained indicated an increase in protein, ash, and fat content. There were no apparent effect of groundnut addition of pH and titratable acidity in the mixtures. The taste panel evaluation and the amylograph pasting characteristics of the groundnut-ogi blends concluded that blends with 50% groundnut addition and beyond were acceptable improving the nutritive value of ogi for neonate