Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 2 (2), pp. 001-006, February, 2012. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Performance, proximate and mineral analyses of African giant land snail (Archachatina marginata) fed different nitrogen sources

Ademolu, K.O.¹*, Idowu, A.B.¹, Mafiana, C.F.¹ and Osinowo, O.A.²

¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

²Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Accepted 16 December, 2011

Abstract

The effect of different nitrogen sources in the diets offered to caged African giant land snail, Archachatina marginata, was investigated in a six months experiment. Four experimental diets I, II, III and IV containing soybean, fishmeal, poultry dropping and urea as the only nitrogen source, respectively were formulated. Diet V (Pawpaw leaves) served as the control. Growth parameters (weight gain, feed intake, shell length gain and shell circumference gain), hemolymph and flesh minerals and proximate composition of the snails were determined. Snails fed diet III (poultry droppings) recorded the highest weight gain while the snails fed diet IV recorded the least value. Snail fed diet I had the highest feed conversion ratio (FCR}. The least FCR value was recorded for snails on diet V. The feed intake of snail on diet V was significantly higher (p <0.05) than those of other diets. The highest shell length gain and shell circumference gain was recorded in snails fed diet III. Analysis of the Hemolymph mineral composition revealed that snails fed Diet I had the highest value for Ca²⁺ , Mg²⁺ and Fe²⁺ while the highest value in Na⁺ and Zn²⁺ was recorded in snails on diet V. The chemical analysis of the flesh showed that snails fed diet V had highest value in Na⁺, K⁺, Zn²⁺ and Cl^- while snails on diet III had the least value in Mg²⁺ and Cl^-. Proximate analysis of the snails flesh revealed that crude protein value was least in snails fed diet IV and highest in snails fed diet III. Snails fed diet V had the highest ash content value closely followed by snails on diet I while those on diet IV recorded the least value.The result of the study showed that higher growth performance for Archachatina was favoured by diet III.

Key words: Snail, feed, proximate, nitrogen sources, diet.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 2 (2), pp. 001-004, February, 2012. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Role of sialic acids in the midguts of Trypanosoma congolense infected Culex pipense pipiense mosquitoes

A. B. Sallau¹*, A. J. Nok¹, I. S. Ndams² and E. O. Balogun¹

¹Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

²Department of Biological Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

Accepted 14 December, 2011

abstract

Free and total sialic acid concentrations were determined in the midgut extract of Culex pipiense pipiense mosquitoes infected with Trypanosoma congolense. The mean total sialic acid concentrations were found to be 1.5 to 2 fold higher than the mean free sialic acid concentrations in the midgut extracts of all the groups of the T. congolense infected C.p. pipiense. Infusion of 10 mg/ml galactose and 10 mg/ml lactose did not change the pattern of this difference but resulted to 1.3 to 1.4 fold decrease in the total sialic acid concentration. The relevance of these findings to the role of sialic acids in the midgut of T. congolense infected C.p. pipiense mosquitoes is discussed in this paper.

Key words: Trypanosoma congolense, Culex pipiense pipiense, sialic acid, midgut.

Key words: Rats, orogastric, Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 2 (2), pp. 001-006, February, 2012. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Functional properties of amylopectin and amylose fractions isolated from bambarra groundnut (Voandzeia subterranean) starch

Lawal, O.S.¹*, Adebowale, K.O.² and Oderinde, R.A.²

¹Department of chemical sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun state, Nigeria.

²Department of chemistry University of Ibadan Nigeria.

Accepted 19 December, 2011

Abstract

Bambarra groundnut starch was fractionated into amylose and amylopectin fractions, and chemical modifications, through oxidation and acetylation, was applied to the amylose fraction. Percentage yield of amylose and amylopectin were 75% and 11% respectively. Proximate analysis revealed that percentage protein, ash, crude fibre and crude fat were below 1%. Swelling capacity and solubility of all the samples increased with increasing temperature. Water and oil absorption capacity revealed that hydrophobic tendency was greater than hydrophilic potentials. Gel forming capacity increased with increase in concentration of the samples and least gelation concentration was minimal in amylopectin fraction. Initial pasting temperature of native amylose reduced from 70^oC to 60^oC and 65^oC following oxidation and acetylation, respectively. Among the samples, highest pasting temperature was recorded in native amylopectin and values for peak viscosity during heating (Pv), hot paste viscosity at 95oC (Hv), viscosity after 30 min holding at 95oC (Hv30), cold paste viscosity (Cv), set back (SB) and breakdown (BD) were maximal in native amylose.

Key words: Bambarra groundnut, amylose, amylopectin, modifications.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 2 (2), pp. 001-004, February, 2012. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Studies on the degradation of wood sawdust by Lentinus squarrosulus (Mont.) Singer

Shide EG¹, Wuyep PA²* and Nok AJ³

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

²Department of Biological Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

³Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

Accepted 11 December, 2011

Abstract

Lentinus squarrosulus (Mont.) Singer, a basidiomycete also known as a white rot fungi, was immobilized on sodium alginate and tested for the effectiveness to degrade wood sawdust (WSD). Untreated and 0.1 M HCl- pretreated WSD samples were separately reacted in a micro-carrier bioreactor (µCBR) and the extent of degradation to form protein, glucose and ethanol was investigated. Pretreatment enhanced the production of both proteins and ethanol by average value of 72.0% over untreated WSD samples, after hydraulic retention time of 72 h. The maximum production of protein observed was 0.94 mg/ml-reaction volume and that of ethanol was 6.6 mg/ml-reaction volume, whereas glucose concentration fluctuated due to interconversion to ethanol. This report shows that L. squarrosulus (Mont.) Singer have the potentials of degrading WSD samples to important chemical compounds that are not hazardous to the environment.

Key words: Lentinus squarrosulus, wood sawdust, sodium alginate, bioreactor, ethanol.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology Vol. 2 (2), pp. 001-008, February, 2012. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Optimization of industrial production of rifamycin B by Amycolatopsis mediterranei. III. Production in fed-batch mode in shake flasks

El-Tayeb, O.M. ¹, Salama A.A.², Hussein, M.M.M.²,and El-Sedawy, H.F.¹

¹Microbial Biotechnology Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

²Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

Accepted 13 December, 2011

Abstract

Optimization of the fermentation process using the gene amplified variant of Amycolatopsis mediterranei, NCH, in the fermentation medium F2 was carried out by the application of fed-batch regime. The addition of 12% glucose alone at day 4 or simultaneously with 0.1% yeast extract at day 2 led to an increase in the yield of rifamycin B by 46% and 57%, respectively. The application of fed-batch regime together with replacing (NH₄)₂SO₄ with the better yielding inorganic nitrogen sources NH₄NO₃ or KNO_{3 (}F2m1 and F2m2 media, respectively) increased the production of rifamycin B. The use of F2m1 medium alone or with an additional 12% glucose added at day 4 increased the yield by 53% and 120%, respectively. However, further addition of 0.1% yeast extract led to an increase in the yield by only 63%. The addition of 3% soytone or 0.05% NH₄NO₃ to F2m1 at day 3 increased the yield by 72% and 61%, respectively, compared to productivity in F2 medium. The use of F2m2 medium increased the yield by 50%. The addition of 12% glucose at day 4 or of 0.1% yeast extract at day 2 to F2m2 medium led to an increase in the yield by 119 and 55%, respectively, compared to F2 medium. However, when both 12% glucose and 0.1% yeast extract were added at similar scheduled times only 64% increase in the yield occurred. By applying the three most effective optimization regimes determined using variant NCH with F2m2 medium on a standard rifamycin B producing strain, Nocardia mediterranei ATCC 21789, a similar pattern of increase in the antibiotic yield was observed. Thus, the use of F2m2 instead of F2 medium either alone or with an additional 12% glucose added at day 4 increased the yield by 36 and 75%, respectively, whereas the addition of 0.1% yeast extract to F2 medium increased the yield by 15%. In conclusion, the application of fed-batch technique with the optimum modifications of the medium constituents increased rifamycin B production by variant NCH to a maximum of 17.17 g/l compared to a yield of 5.3 g/l by the tested standard strain under the same conditions. The increase in rifamycin B production using the standard strain confirms the usefulness of the tested medium modifications in the improvement of rifamycin B production and its possible application in fermentations using other rifamycin B producer strains and also shows the superiority of variant NCH as a producer, when compared to the standard strain.

Key words: Rifamycin B, fermentation, biotechnology, Amycolatopsis mediterranei, optimization, fed-batch and physiological factors.