Search

Aims: This study was carried out to investigate the in-vitro antibacterial effect of the crude extracts of Corn (Zea mays) silks and husks on selected biofilm producing multi-drug resistant bacteria isolated from urinary catheter tips. Study Design: Experimental design. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) Ondo State, Nigeria. Methodology: Bacterial isolates from urinary catheter tips were screened for biofilm production. The biofilm producing isolates were subjected to commercial antibiotics and isolates resistant to more than three classes of antibiotics were used for the study. Methanol and distilled water were used as extracting solvents for the corn silks and husks. The antibacterial activity and phytochemical analysis of the extracts were carried out using standard procedures. Results: The phytochemical analysis of the methanol and aqueous extracts of corn husks and silks revealed the presence of saponins, tannins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides. The aqueous extract of corn husk showed highest inhibitory effects on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci with zones of inhibition ranging from 14.80 ± 1.89 mm to 24.40 ± 2.51 mm at 200 mg/mL. Proteus mirabilis exhibited resistance against all the extracts. Conclusion: Findings from this study revealed the antibacterial potential of corn silks and husks extracts at varying concentrations. The potency of aqueous extract of husk at lower concentration (200 mg/mL) suggests its potential use in the treatment of urinary tract bacteria especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the antagonistic activities of the isolated microorganisms from honey on the selected diarrhoeagenic bacteria, for this reason the microbiological quality of Nigerian honey was investigated. Materials and Methods: Twelve (12) honey samples from different locations in Nigeria were evaluated and the microorganisms present in those samples were studied and isolated. Both clinical and typed cultures of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella dysenteriae, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus were also used for the study. Results: A total of 9 bacterial and 8 fungal species were isolated from the honey samples: Bacillus proteolyticus, Providencia rettgeri, Lysinibacillus pakiestanensis, Bacillus thuringiensis, Acinetobacter indicus, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Lysinibacillus fusiforms, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium chrysogenum, Neurospora crassa, Rhizopus stolonifer, Fusarium oxysporum, Mucor racemosus, Trichodermaviride, Saccharomyces cerevisae respectively. Among the 9 bacteria isolated, 4 (44.44%) exerted antagonistic effect on 6 (60%) of thetest bacteria. On the other hand, 2 (25.00%)among the 8 fungi isolated had antagonistic activity against 4 (40.00%) of the test bacteria. Conclusion: However, honey has anti-microbial properties that discourage the growth or persistence of many microorganisms which made them to contain low numbers and a limited variety of microbes. The bacteria isolated exerted a greater antagonistic activity than the isolated fungi on selected diarrhoeagenic bacteria, which could have been as a result of secondary metabolites like lipopeptides, polypeptides, fatty acids, isocoumarins produced by them that exhibited a wide range of biological activities such as antimicrobial. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 21 No. 03 July’22 Page: 553-561

Edible mushrooms (Pleurotus pulmonarius) were supplemented with essential elements to enhance their functional activities and to combat the symptoms of nutrient deficiency. In this study, nutrient contents of cultivated mushrooms were determined, scavenging activity of mushroom extract were tested against free radicals; 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl ion (OH−) and nitric oxide (NO). The biological efficiency of non-fortified mushroom (48.8%), mushroom fortified with Fe (47.7%) or Zn (46.8%) were not significantly different (p

Iru , a condiment used for seasoning soup is often obtained from the fermentation of Parkiabiglobosa seeds. The present study therefore investigates the effect of different starter culture on the amino and fatty acid profile of Parkiabiglobosa seed fermented to produce iru. Starter culture of Lactobacillus plantarum, Bacillus subtilis and Leuconostoc sp were used to ferment Parkiabiglobosa seeds. The bacterial load increased from 0.00 log10cfu/g in boiled raw sample to 8.67 log10cfu/g in naturally fermented sample. Fermentation significantly (PParkiabiglobosa fermented to produce iru, a Nigerian condiment.

This study assessed the preservative efficacy of Azadirachta indica (Neem) and Psidium guajava (Guava) leaf extracts on Capsicum annuum (Bell pepper). The phytochemical compositions of A. indica and P. guajava leaf extracts were determined using standard methods. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of saponnin, anthraquinone tannin, steroid, terpenoid, flavonoid and glycosides in ethanol extracts of Azadirachta Indica A. Juss. and Psidium guajava L. leaves and tannin, terpenoid, flavonoid and glycosides are present in n-hexane extracts of the selected plants. Among the phytochemicals identified, Terpenoid was the highest in value (25.79mg/g) and saponnin has the least value (3.27 mg/g). The ethanolic extracts of Guava had the highest inhibition against the growth of Staphyloccoccus aureus (35.00±1.15 mm).The n-hexane extracts of Neem leaves had the lowest inhibition against the growth of Staphyloccoccus sp (8.00±0.57 mm). Ethanolic extract has the highest antifungal effect against Saccharomyces cerevisiae (58.66±0.90 mm). Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the ethanol extracts of Azadirachta indica A. Juss. and Psidium guajava L. leaves are more effective than the n-hexane extracts of P. guajava and A. indica leaves because it effectively inhibited the growth of the microorganisms. The Capsicum annuum L. fruits coated with selected plant extracts were preserved for a longer period than the uncoated fruits. All these results therefore suggest that the leaf extracts of P. guajava and A. indica can be used as bio preservatives for the extension of the shelf life of C. annuum.

Fermented food condiments form an integral part of African diets as they supply nutrients with claimed medicinal properties. This research was designed to investigate the effect of period of fermentation on the microbial, mineral and proximate composition of fermented Parkia biglobosa seeds. The bacteriological, nutritional and sensory parameters were carried out on the raw, dehulled and fermented seeds. The result of the total bacterial counts showed that the raw seed had 3.67 log10cfu, there was a significant increase in the total bacteria count from 2.20 log10cfu/g in dehulled unfermented bean to 9.248 log10cfu/g at 96 hr of fermentation. The bacteria isolated were Bacillus subtilis (32 isolates), Lactobacillus plantarum (9 isolates), and Leuconostoc spp (3 isolates). The pH increased significantly from 4.57 in the raw seeds to 8.40 at 96 hr of fermentation. The titratable acidity decreased from 0.179N in the raw seeds until it got to 0.0313N at 96hr of fermentation. The proximate composition on dry mass basis showed that ‘iru’ fermented for 48hr had the highest protein content of 41.023%. The carbohydrate decreased from 42.153% in the raw seed to 20.733% at the end of fermentation. Four of the minerals; lead, cadmium, cobalt and nickel were detected in the raw seeds but were no longer available after dehulling. Phosphorus, sodium, calcium and potassium increased during the fermentation period. The sensory result showed that the intensity of growth on the surface of the fermenting bean increased. Moreover, the sensory score on the texture showed that the seed became softer as the fermentation progressed. The colour became darker and the ammonia odour became more pungent. The overall-liking showed a significant increase as the fermentation progressed where the panelist preferred the product fermented for 72hr. The result from this study revealed that the best time for fermentation of Parkia biglobosa seeds to produce good quality iru was between 48hr and 72hr.

Aims: This study is geared to evaluating honey as an alternative of conventional antibiotics to treat infections caused by the selected diarrhoeagenic bacteria. Place and duration of Study: Research laboratory of Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Nigeria between December 2017 to May 2018. Methodology: Honey samples from ten (10) different locations in Nigeria were screened for possible antibacterial activity on both the clinical and typed cultures of the selected diarrhoeagenic bacteria; Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella dysenteriae, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus using agar well diffusion method. Conventional antibiotics were used as control. Data obtained were subjected to one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using XL-Start, 2016 version. Results: All the honey samples used exerted growth inhibitory activity on all the test bacteria including the ones that were resistant to the conventional antibiotics (Ofloxacin and augmentin) used as control. In some cases, the growth inhibitions mediated by the honey samples were superior to that of the conventional antibiotics. Conclusion: This study showed that honey has antibacterial activity against the selected bacteria and therefore can be exploited as an alternative to conventional antibiotics to treat infections caused by the selected diarrhoeagenic bacteria especially the ones that were resistant to conventional antibiotics.

Food value and safety of a wild macrofungus, Lenzites quercina were investigated. The proximate and mineral composition of raw and fermented L. quercina were assessed using standard methods. Brine shrimp lethality bioassay was adopted for assessment of the toxicological property of the extracts obtained from raw and fermented L. quercina. The result of proximate composition revealed higher protein content (26.15%) in fermented L. quercina, while the value of carbohydrate (38.3%), crude fibre (27.6%), and ash contents (6.5%) were higher (P K> Zn> Fe> Na> Mg> Pb> Cu with values ranging from 4.04 mg/g to 721.6 mg/g. The amino acids in raw and fermented L. quercina ranged from 0.05 mg/g to 23.78 mg/g, while the fatty acids ranged from 0.11% to 38.5%. The mortality rate of the Artemia salina against the extracts was from 8.0% to 38.0% with lethal dose at 50% of population within 49.11 and 250.50 μg/mL. The results from this study revealed that L. quercina possesses essential amino acids, fatty acids, and substantial micro elements, which may be useful in the formulation of functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Supplementation of edible fungi with essential mineral during cultivation has been an interesting approach to proffer solution to mineral deficiency. Effect of selenium Se concentrations 0, 50.0, 100.0 mg mL-1 as sodium selenite on mycelial growth and biomass production of Pleurotus spp. was assessed. The biological efficiency and uptake of Se was determined after the cultivation of Pleurotus mushrooms on Urochloa decumbens signal grass with 50.0 g kg-1 of Se. The fungal growth rate and biomass production were reduced after addition of Se and their value ranged from 1.0 mm d-1 to 3.6 mm d-1 and 5.63 g to 30.5 g respectively. Higher biological efficiency (115.23%) was obtained for P. ostreatus P93 and was significantly different P

The African breadfruit plant (Treculia africana) Decne is an evergreen tropical tree crop that bears large seeded fruits. It is well known in Southern Nigeria where the edible seed is of great socioeconomic value and forms an important part of diets. It contains between 13.4 and 23.3% proteins, 53.7 and 62.6% carbohydrates, 10.4 and 18.9% fats, and a wide array of nutritive elements (Ca, Zn, Fe, Mg), and antinutrient components of the seed (phytate, oxalate, tannin, and hydrogen cyanide) are drastically reduced during seed processing via fermentation, toasting, and boiling. The seed extract has been shown to possess antimicrobial and health-promoting activities. This chapter provides information on the phytoconstituents of African breadfruit seed and their nutritional and potential medicinal values.

Soft cheese (wara) is an unripened cheese consumed in several parts of West Africa due to its various nutritional qualities. Soft cheese, a coagulated product of raw milk is usually produced from cow milk using Calotropis procera. This study therefore sought to assess the effect of the different coagulants such as Calotropis procera, Carica papaya, lemon juice and steep water from cereals (maize, millet and sorghum) on the amino acid content of soft cheese produced from sheep milk. Raw milk sample was collected from sheep and processed into soft cheese by these coagulants and the amino acid composition of the sample was carried out using standard methods. The result revealed that Calotropis procera coagulated soft cheese has the highest essential amino acid content Leucine (10.21 g/100 g), while steep water from millet coagulated soft cheese has the lowest essential amino acid content methionine (0.72 g/100 g). However, lemon juice coagulated soft cheese has the highest non essential amino acid glutamic acid (16.27 g/100 g) in all the cheese samples. In conclusion, this study revealed that highly nutritious soft cheese can also be gotten from sheep milk other than the commonly used cow milk and other coagulants such as lemon juice can compete favorably well with Calotropis procera in production of highly nutritious soft cheese. It is therefore recommended that soft cheese produced from sheep milk coagulated by lemon juice should be incorporated into daily diet due to its highly nutritional content.

The phytochemical property and inhibitory potential of petroleum ether and ethanol extracts of Lenzites quercina, Ganoderma lucidum and Rigidoporus ulmarius were assessed. Standard method was adopted to quantify the phytochemicals in the mushroom extracts. Poisoned food technique was used to assess the inhibition of the extracts obtained from the macrofungi against some pathogenic dermatophytes. The phenolic content of the studied mushroom extracts ranged from 15.7 to 83.8 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g extract. Ethanolic extract of G. lucidum has the higher content of alkaloids (34.3 mg/g) and flavonoids (18.1 mg/g). Exactly 33.1 mg/g of terpenoids and 16.6 mg/g of saponins were also quantified in ethanolic extract of L. quercina. Extracts of L. quercina, G. lucidum and R. ulmarius exhibited wide range of mycelia inhibition at 50 mg/ml on the tested dermatophytes. The consistent inhibition displayed by the mushroom extracts against the dermatophytes affirms that these wild mushrooms contain bioactive compounds that are antifungal in nature and may possess the ability to cure dermatophyte infections.

Aim: To determine the antibiotic reaction and adhesion pattern of antimicrobial homofermenting LAB strains in the fermenting slurries of kunu zaki. Study Design: ANOVA. Inhibition of indicator lawn used ≥10mm inhibition as antibiotic susceptible. Adhesion was measured by staining and quantifying recorded as percentage and index values.

The present study was conducted to determine the pro-biotic properties in vitro of the lactic acid bacteria isolated from spontaneously fermenting kunu-zaki. Kunu-zaki was processed using composite, non composite, germinated and ungerminated Digitaria exilis (Fonio), Sorghum bicolor (Sorghum) and Pennisetum americanum (Millet) cereals. A total of 150 LAB isolates were obtained from all the fermenting slurries. These 150 LAB isolates were screened for their ability to grow at pH 3.0, resistance against bile salt and ability to inhibit reference test pathogens. Out of these 150 LAB isolates; 21 exhibited good probiotic properties. All the 21 isolates were further identified to specie and subspecies level using standard API50CHL system with all 21 showing good survival (P < 0.05) in a pH 3.0 buffered medium and subsequent resistance to 0.3% bile. The LAB isolates which survived these conditions consisted of 18 Lactobacillus species, 2 Pediococcus species and 1 Lactococcus specie. These LAB species were further examined for antimicrobial activity against the growth of reference pathogens Staphylococcus aureus 25923, Escherichia coli 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 27853 and Enterococcus faecalis 29212. All 21 LAB species exhibited good inhibition of all test reference pathogens except Lactobacillus fructivorans, Lactococcus lactis sp lactis and L. fermentum which however, showed no zone of inhibition against the growth of E. faecalis. Kunu-zaki made from composite un-germinated Sorghum bicolor (Sorghum) and Pennisetum americanum (Millet) cereal grains contained the highest percentage (52%) of LAB species which showed good probiotic criteria in vitro. Non composite ungerminated cereals accounted for 33% of the total probiotic LAB isolates whilst the germinated non composite and composite cereals recorded the lowest percentage (10%) and (5%) of probiotic LAB respectively. The results of this research study showed that the LAB species isolated from wild fermentation of kunu-zaki beverage fulfilled the criteria for in vitro screening of probiotic characteristics. These LAB species possed potential for further use as probiotic in human preparations and suggested the use of kunu-zaki made from ungerminated composite sorghum and millet grains as a natural probiotic drink.

Ethanolic extracts of three wild medicinal mushrooms, namely Lenzites betulina (LET), Trametes versicolor (TET), and Coriolopsis polyzona (CET), collected from Akure, southwest Nigeria, were assessed for their lipid peroxidation, anti-inflammatory, and acute toxicity effects. The inhibition of the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) by extracts was concentration dependent and ranged from 86.99% to 92.18% at 1000 µg/ mL. The IC50 of the extracts was also in the range of 222.81 µg/mL to 737.13 µg/mL. The anti-inflammatory effect measured by inhibition of mice ear edema was higher and significantly different (P ≤ 0.05) than the control. The acute toxicity test also revealed tolerance to the three ethanolic extracts by Artemia salina at concentrations of 10 µg/mL to 1000 µg/mL, except for ethanolic extracts of LET and TET, which exhibited toxicity against this invertebrate at 1000 µg/mL. This research has shown that ethanolic extracts of these three macrofungi could be good sources of safe and effective antioxidant and antinflammatory agents for biopharmaceutical exploitation.

‘ Pupuru’, an indigenous retted cassava product processed with water from different sources was analyzed for nutritive elements including; potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus and zinc and some anti nutrients: cyanide, tannin and phytate. The concentration of the minerals increased while the anti nutrient concentration decreased in the processed ‘pupuru’ as compared to the unprocessed cassava. To predict the effect of phytate on zinc bioavailability, molar ratios of [phytate] / [Zn], [Ca] / [phytate] and [C a] [phytate] / [Zn] were calculated. The calculated [Ca] [phytate] / [Zn] molar ratio for all the products (0.1 - 0.26 mol/kg) were all below the 0.5 mol/kg critical value while the [phytate] / [Zn] molar ratios (5.8 - 10.8) were all below the 15:1 value c onsidered to be critical. The foregoing shows that processing cassava into ‘pupuru’ will reduce anti nutrient concentrations and enhance zinc bioavailability.

The effectiveness of common antimicrobial substances to microbial entities has been in doubt in the last three decades. This is as a result of resistance of microbial spoilers and pathogens to these antimicrobial agents. Fungi which are microbial entities are not exempted from the problem of antimicrobial resistance. Most common fungicidal agents are becoming ineffective in treating fungal infections. Hence, the search for antifungal agents has double paced recently. Plants that have the potential to synthesize aromatic substances with antimicrobial properties have been proposed as the sources from which novel and effective antimicrobial substances can be derived. This chapter X-rays the resistance of fungi to common antifungal agents and the possibility of using bioactives from plants to solve the increasing problem of fungal resistance.

Mushrooms absorb minerals and are able to accumulate them as functional organic compounds during growth. Iron is one of the elements required for various metabolic processes but low intake has resulted to some nutritional deficiencies. This study investigated the effect of different iron concentrations in the culture media on mycelial growth, biomass production, hyphae diameter and distance between septa of six species of Pleurotus, namely Pleurotus ostreatus; Pleurotus cornucopiae; Pleurotus djamor; Pleurotus pulmonarius, and Pleurotus djamor v. roseus. These macrofungi were further grown on substrate based Urochloa decumbens with addition of Fe (0, 500 and 1000 mg Kg-1). The mycelial growth rate and biomass produced by Pleurotus species decreased (P as iron concentration increased from (0 - 100) mg L-1. This shows an inhibitory interaction between the fungi and iron at higher concentration. The hyphae diameter and distance between septa of the examined fungi were respectively ranged from 45 µm to 80 µm and 40 µm to 119 µm at iron concentration of (0 -100) mg L-1. The estimated iron uptake in cultivated Pleurotus species ranged from 37.8 µg g-1 to 96.6 µg g-1 when 500 mg Kg-1 and 1000 mg Kg-1 of Fe was added to the substrate. The cultivation of edible macrofungi enriched with iron could improve the socio economic status and play a nutritional role in decreasing anemia.

The edible mushroom Pleurotus sajor-caju, cultivated on corncobs and obtained from the wild, was assessed by nutritional indices. The protein efficiency ratios obtained for the rats fed stalk diet (2.16) and that of rats fed native P. sajor-caju cap diet (2.14) were not significantly different (Por= .05) from one another but were lower than the casein control (2.50), whereas the value for the wild cap diet-fed rats (2.99) was significantly higher (Por= .05) than the control. Net protein retention value obtained for rats fed cap diets was significantly higher (Por= .05) than the control, whereas the value for the stalk-fed rats was not significantly different (Por= .05) from the control. Biochemical parameters analyzed include serum albumin, total protein, and hemoglobin. Serum albumin concentrations of both the cultivated and wild cap diet-fed rats were not significantly different (Por= .05) from that of the control, whereas those of the two stalk diet-fed groups were significantly higher (Por= .05) than the control. Hemoglobin concentrations were significantly higher (Por= .05) in rats fed wild cap diet than in all other treatment groups. Serum total protein values of rats fed cultivated stalk and wild cap diets were significantly higher (Por= .05) in rats fed wild cap diet than in all other treatment groups. Total protein values of rats fed cultivated stalk and wild cap diets were significantly higher than those of other groups. The preceding highlights the importance of cultivated and native P. sajor-caju as sources of high-quality protein that could contribute to nutritional adequacy in human diets.

Bioactive compounds in wild medicinal mushrooms are known to contain potent antimicrobial property. Hence, there is need to assess the antimicrobial properties of these wild mushrooms in order to adequately utilize the bioactive compounds for the production of new antimicrobials and to curb the menace of antibiotic resistance. In this study, the phytochemical property and antistaphylococcal activity of a wild medicinal macrofungus, Lenzites quercina was assessed. Staphylococcus species were isolated from clinical samples from two well patronized hospitals in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. The isolates were identified based on standard microbiological methods. The sensitivity pattern of the Staphylococcus species against some antibiotics was assessed. The inhibitory potential of ethanolic extract of Lenzites quercina on the growth of the clinical Staphylococcal strains was carried out using agar well diffusion method. The percentage resistance displayed by forty two (42) Staphylococcus species against commonly used antibiotics ranged from 25.0 to 100. Qualitative screening and quantity of some phytochemicals in Lenzites quercina extract are revealed as follows: flavonoids (18.6 mg/g), saponins (2.8 mg/g), tannins (11.3 mg/g), tepernoids (1.16 mg/g) and cardiac glycosides (0.84 mg/g). Inhibitory zones displayed by extract of Lenzites quercina against Staphylococcus spp ranged from 6.0 mm to 22.0 mm at 50 mg/ml. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) however varies from 6.25 mg/ml to ≥50 mg/ml. Extract of Lenzites quercina as well as commercial antibiotics (positive control) exhibited potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus spp. The phytochemicals in Lenzites quercina are responsible for the anti-staphylococci activity observed. These phytochemicals can be further isolated and exploited to solve the recurrent problem of antibiotic resistance peculiar to some species of Staphylococcus.