Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology Vol. 2 (4), pp. 185-190, April, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full length Research Paper

Energy profile and Feeding Status of young adult Cameroonian university students

Mukambi Serges and Gilbert E. Rogers

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63 Buea, Cameroon.

E-mail: [email protected] 

Accepted 13 March, 2014

Abstract

In Cameroon, malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are associated to emerging chronic diseases and are serious public health as reported on last nutritional surveys. The aim of this study was to evaluate the food and macronutrient intakes of 58 students comprising 39 male and 19 female, aged 21 to 31 years, in Douala, Cameroon. Average daily intakes of energy were then calculated from the protein, lipid and carbohydrate content of the food as reported on food composition tables. For males, the averages were 26 years, 22.43 Kg/m² and 2681 ± 1138 Kcal, for age, BMI and energy intakes respectively. For females, they were 25 years, 23.04 Kg/m² and 2266 ± 874 Kcal for age, BMI and energy intakes respectively. No case of underweight was observed. Education on food intakes of this group of Cameroonians is therefore needed along with further large scale studies.

Key words: Foods, macronutrient, energy, intakes, young-adults, Cameroon.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology Vol. 2 (3), pp. 180-184, March, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Evaluation of elaborated food from regionally obtainable products with commercial foods of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in Mexico

Juarez Deigo, Masum Gucci, Tonger Ruiz

Food Research Department, School of Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila. Blvd. V. Carranza and Ing. José Cárdenas V. s/n. Col. República Ote. Saltillo 25280, Coahuila, México.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 22 February, 2013

Abstract 

Aquaculture increasingly contributes to human nutrition, but the expansion of semi-intensive systems is limited by the high cost of commercial food. This is the case of the semi-intensive production of carp (Cyprinus carpio) in artificial lakes and reservoirs in the state of Tlaxcala in the Mexican highlands. 24% cheaper alternative food from duckweed (Lemna sp.) (37%), soya (Glycine max) (36%), corn (Zea mays) (9%), wheat grain and bran (Triticum vulgare) (9% each) was elaborated on. The increased weight of carps fed with this cheap alternative food and the commercially available food was compared as well. The contents of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids were 35, 41, and 4% respectively for both kinds of food. Two hundred carps were evenly distributed over 4 concrete tanks of 100 m². Two tanks were assigned for feeding, each tank with one kind of food during 84 days at a rate of 5% of carp weight per day. The alternative food performed better than the commercial food. We conclude that the cost of food for carp production in the Mexican highlands can significantly be reduced by switching to the alternative food.

Key words: Common carp, experimental food, Lemna, Mexican highlands.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology Vol. 2 (3), pp. 175-179, March, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Categorization and segregation of yeast strains from local food crops

Hammed Olla, Harshanti O. and Abubakar Bukar

Department of Medicine, Faculty of Sciences, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Kwara, Nigeria.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 02 February, 2014

Abstract 

Isolation and identification of yeast from Manihot esculenta, Zea mays, Cola acuminata and Sorghum bicolor was done using the spread plate technique. Morphological, cultural, physiological and molecular characterizations were carried out resulting in determination of the species. Four isolates belonging to different genera which include Pichia, Kluyveromyces, Candida and Saccharomyces were identified. This present study showed that the yeast isolates have the potential to ferment both hexose and pentose sugars.

Key words: Food crops, yeast, isolation, identification, fermentation.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology Vol. 2 (2), pp. 172-174, February, 2014.  International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Antibiogram of food-borne pathogens secluded from ready foods and Zobo Drinks Sold in Nigeria

Suya M* and B. I. Dele

Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 28 January, 2014

Abstract 

Food poisoning (food-borne disease) is an infection that occurs after consuming food contaminated by sufficient numbers of viable pathogens and their toxins. It is a common and costly preventable infection that is of public health concern, and which is treated with available antibiotics. Jellof-rice, abacha, moi-moi and zobo drinks are some ready-to-eat foods sold within the PRESCO campus of Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki, Nigeria. These foods are commonly patronized by students and other unsuspecting visitors in this region, and they have been implicated in a handful of bacterial related infections in recent times. Random samples of the food items were collected from shops selling them, and these were analyzed microbiologically to determine the most prevalent organisms. Suspect isolates were identified and tested for antibiotic susceptibility profiles. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the commonest microbes isolated, and these showed varying rates of resistance and susceptibility to the tested drugs. Clindamycin, ampicillin and ofloxacin were less effective against the test organisms while gentamicin, erythromycin and ciprofloxacin showed substantial activity. The findings in this study showed that some ready-to-eat foods and zobo drinks sold within PRESCO campus of EBSU, Abakaliki, Nigeria were considerably contaminated with resistant pathogenic bacteria, hence, the need for constant monitoring of ready-to-eat foods in order to prevent the outbreak of food-borne illnesses in this region.

Key words: Zobo drinks, ready-to-eat foods, bacteria, antibiotic resistance.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology Vol. 2 (2), pp. 160-171, February, 2014.  International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Growth ratio of extruded water yam starch using a single screw extruder

Preshy Morrison, Kaweche Okharua and Amoateng Lulama

School of Engineering, Bioresources Engineering, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 05 January, 2014

Abstract  

The objective of this study was to develop predictive models that relate extrusion process variables to expansion ratio of five varieties of water yam starch. This was accomplished by varying the feed moisture content (FMC) and extruder parameters which include barrel temperature (BT), screw speed (SS) and determine their effects on resulting expansion ratio using response surface methodology. A single screw extruder (DCE 330, NJ) was used in evaluating the extrudate’s physical property, expansion ratio of the starches that were processed using standard wet milling procedure. The expansion ratios of all the extrudates considered in this study ranged from 1.05 to 1.93. It was observed that changing the feed moisture content, barrel temperature and screw speed significantly (P<0.05) affected the expansion ratio of all the extrudates. Increasing the feed moisture content (18 to 28% db) and screw speed (80 to 180 rpm) resulted in a substantial decrease in expansion ratio of all the extrudates except that of TDa 98/01183. The screw speed and feed moisture content were found to be the major process variables showing significant (P<0.05) linear, quadratic and interaction influences on the expansion ratio.

Key words: Water yam, starch, extrusion variables, extrudate, expansion ratio.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology Vol. 2 (1), pp. 156-159, January, 2014. International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

The consequence of the container smoking and lactoperoxidase system on the microbial quality of goats’ milk during storage at relative temperature

Goytome Bewketu, Seyfu Seyoum and Fantahun Gebre

Applied Human Nutrition, INFST, College of Agriculture, Hawassa University, Ethiopia.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 29 December, 2013

Abstract 

The effect of the lactoperoxidase (LP) system in combination with container smoking on the microbial quality of goats’ milk was assessed during storage at ambient temperature. The titratable acidity, coliform count (CC) and total bacterial count (TBC) in LP activated milk samples (T₂) decreased by 0.13%, 1.6 and 1.33 log₁₀ units, respectively as compared to their respective values in the control (T₁) at 7 h of storage. Coliform count and TBC in T₂ decreased by 0.33 and 0.20 log₁₀ units, respectively at 7 h of storage as compared to the initial count. When container smoking was combined with the LP system (T₄), no acid development was observed in the milk samples. It can be concluded that container smoking combined with the LP system could effectively control microbial growth and extend the shelf life of goats’ milk stored at an ambient temperature by at least 7 h.

Key words: Goat milk, lactoperoxidase system, shelf life, smoking.