Physicochemical Analysis of a Soil near Microbiology Laboratory at The University of Ilorin, Main Campus

In this study the physico-chemical analysis of a soil near microbiology laboratory at the University of Ilorin, main campus was carried out. The objectives of the study were to determine the soil parameters such as pH, moisture content, organic matter content, water holding capacity, temperature and soil texture in consideration of the soil’s suitability for microbial growth and plant development. Six soil samples were collected with interval of two weeks between two samples. pH range value was 7.10 to 7.82, the range of water holding capacity was from 0.28 ml per gram to 0.53 ml per gram of soil. The organic matter content of the soil samples ranged from 3.42% to 4.70%. The moisture content was discovered to range from 2.10% to 5.23%. The texture was discovered to be loamy sand with average composition of 89% sand, 7% silt and 4% clay. Keywords: soil texture, Organic Matter Content, Water Holding Capacity, Moisture content, Sand, Silt, Cla

Tradomedical Values of Cotton Leaf Plus Lemon Juice Against Clinical Bacterial Isolates

The antibacterial activity of the water and ethanolic extracts of cotton leaf (Gossypium spp.) plus lemon juice (Citrus limon) were tested against pure clinical isolates of Salmonella sp., Shigella sp., E. coli and Klebsiella sp. Cotton leaf is normally used in conjunction with lemon juice by the local populace in Nigeria for the treatment of enteric infections. Decoction method was used for the extraction of the active components from the plant in order to simulate the traditional method of extraction. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and the diameters of zones of inhibition were determined by broth dilution and Agar diffusion methods respectively. The ethanolic extracts are more effective than the water extracts on the test organisms. The MIC of the water and ethanolic extracts ranged between 1.25 -5.0 w/v on the test organisms. Similarly, the average diameter of zones of inhibition of the water extracts on the test organisms ranged between 3.0 to 13.0mm while that of the ethanolic extracts ranged between 12.0 to 21.0mm. The results of this study showed that E. coli was the most susceptible followed by Klebsiella sp., then Salmonella sp., and finally Shigella sp. at the concentrations used for both water and ethanolic extracts. This observation thereby justifies the traditional uses of these plant extracts among the Nigerian local populace for the treatment of some enteric infections such as dysentery and diarrhoea

Comparative study of physicochemical analysis of prosopis africana seeds fermented with different starter cultures

Prosopis africana (African mesquite) is one of the lesser known legume seed crops in Nigeria, which in a fermented state, gives a food condiment. Because of its rich protein content (about 34%), efforts are made to utilize some lesser known legumes to improve the nutritional status of the people. This study was carried out by fermenting Prosopis africana seeds with mono and mixed cultures of bacterial isolates to produce a local condiment called Okpehe. Standard AOAC methods were used to determine the pH, total sugar and crude protein content of the fermented seeds. During the production of Okpehe with mono cultures of bacteria, the pH ranged between 6.80 and 8.92; total sugar between 10.2 and 7.5 mg/g, and crude protein between 34.62 and 41.25%. In the mixed culture inoculated samples, the pH increased from 7.00 to 8.92; total sugar decreased from 9.4 to 7.4 mg/g, while the crude protein increased (35.02 - 44.61%) significantly (p < 0.05) as the fermentation progressed. The highest crude protein content of 44.61% was obtained with the combination of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis, while the lowest protein content referred to the combination of Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus pumilus. The result of this study showed that Prosopis africana seeds could be utilized for the production of Okpehe using mixed cultures of B. subtilis and B. licheniformis, so as to increase the protein intake of the populace

Spatial Assessment of Public Water Supplies in Densely Populated Areas of Ilorin Metropolis, Kwara State, Nigeria

Water samples collected from public tap supplies at densely populated areas within Ilorin metropolis were analyzed for potability and safety. The study covered a period of twenty-four months. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, turbidity, residual chlorine, colour, suspended solids and total hardness were determined. The pH of the samples ranged from 7.0 - 7.90 while the range for residual chlorine was 0.5 - 10 mg/L. The suspended solids and total hardness ranged from 0.79 - 46.0 mg/L and 7.0 - 34mg/L respectively. Turbidity of the samples ranged from 0 – 5 NTU, while the colour range was 0 - 5 HU and temperature range was 21 - 30 0C. The results show that only four (20%) of the twenty samples were potable and free from pathogens while Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., Salmonella sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigellla sp. and Enterobacter aerogenes were detected in sixteen (80%) of the samples. The viable total bacterial count ranged between 0.00 – 2.6 x 102 cfu/mL, total coliform count ranged from 0 – 75 MPN/100mL while faecal coliform count ranged from 0.00 – 2.3 x 102 cfu/mL. The presence of coliforms in the samples is indicative of faecal and non-faecal contamination along the supply network, which in some cases could be due to leaching from contaminated environment into corroded pipes along the distribution network used for conveying the treated water that passed through drainage system. Keywords: Coliforms, contamination, safety, bacteriological, physicochemical parameter

Microbial Deterioration of Tomato Fruit ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) Sold in Three Popular Markets in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

The economic loss as a result of spoilage and proliferation of microorganisms on tomato fruits with the possible health risks were the justification for this study. One hundred and fifty tomato fruit samples in different stages of spoilage from three different markets in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria were collected within five weeks and the effect of moisture content on each sample and resulting microflora examined. The pH of the samples ranged from 4.90 - 5.40, while the moisture content ranged from 89.10% - 90.70%. The bacteria counts ranged from 4.00 x 106 - 7.50 x 106 cfu/ml, while the fungal counts ranged from 1.60 x 106 - 3.50 x 106 cfu/ml. A total number of sixteen bacteria and eleven fungi including yeasts were associated with the samples. The bacterial isolates included Aeromonas veronii, Bacillus sp., Neisseria sp., Corynebacterium renale, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Micrococcus varians, Moraxella sp., Bacillus polymyxa, Aeromonas hydrophila, Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus megaterium, Corynebacterium ulcerans, Vibrio sp., Proteus mirabilis, Corynebacterium xerosis, and Bacillus brevis while the fungal isolates included Alternaria sp., Botrytis sp., Candida albicans, Candida guilliermondii, Candida tropicalis, Chrysosporium tropicum, Curvularia sp., Doratomyces microsporus, Geotrichum candidum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Rhizopus stolonifer. The high moisture content of the tomato samples provides an enabling environment for proliferation of the microbial load and hence its spoilage and potential to become health risk to human beings. Keywords: Spoilage, proliferation, economic loss, pH and moistur