In the last two decades, there has been a tremendous increase in the global use of herbal medicinal products (HMPs) due to their claimed health benefits. This has led to increase in their demand and consequently, also, resulted in massive adulteration. This is due to the fact that most of the traditional methods cannot identify closely related species in a process product form. Therefore the urgent need for simple and rapid identification methods resulted in the discovery of a novel technique. DNA barcoding is a process that uses short DNA sequence from the standard genome for species identification. This technique is reliable and is not affected by external factors such as climates, age, or plant part. The difficulties in isolation of DNA of high quality in addition to other factors are among the challenges encountered using the DNA barcoding in the authentication of HMP. These limitations indicated that using DNA barcoding alone may ineffectively authenticate the HMP. Therefore, the combination of DNA barcoding with chromatographic fingerprint, a popular and generally accepted technique for the assessment and quality control of HMP, will offer an efficient solution to effectively evaluate the authenticity and quality consistency of HMP. Detailed and quality information about the main composition of the HMPs will help to ascertain their efficacy and safety as these are very important for quality control.

Context: Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Simaroubaceae) commonly known as Tongkat Ali is one of the most important plants in Malaysia. The plant extracts (particularly roots) are widely used for the treatment of cough and fever besides having antimalarial, antidiabetic, anticancer and aphrodisiac activities. Objectives: This study assesses the extent of adulteration of E. longifolia herbal medicinal products (HMPs) using DNA barcoding validated by HPLC analysis. Materials and methods: Chloroplastic rbcL and nuclear ITS2 barcode regions were used in the present study. The sequences generated from E. longifolia HMPs were compared to sequences in the GenBank using MEGABLAST to verify their taxonomic identity. These results were verified by neighbor-joining tree analysis in which branches of unknown specimen are compared to the reference sequences established from this study and other retrieved from the GenBank. The HMPs were also analysed using HPLC analysis for the presence of eurycomanone bioactive marker. Results: Identification using DNA barcoding revealed that 37% of the tested HMPs were authentic while 27% were adulterated with the ITS2 barcode region proven to be the ideal marker. The validation of the authenticity using HPLC analysis showed a situation in which a species which was identified as authentic was found not to contain the expected chemical compound. Discussion and conclusions: DNA barcoding should be used as the first screening step for testing of HMPs raw materials. However, integration of DNA barcoding with HPLC analysis will help to provide detailed knowledge about the safety and efficacy of the HMPs.

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Antioxidative compounds play a vital role to inhibit the oxidation of oxidizable products and influences the body defense system against Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which are harmful byproducts engendered during normal aerobic cellular respiration. ROS are specialized class of highly reactive molecules that originates during oxygen metabolism, whereas extensive evidences indicate the involvement of ROS in the development of degenerative diseases in humans. Despite the fact that synthetic antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are threat to human's health; they are widely employed as chemical preservatives to avert potential deterioration of food products. Several toxicological findings reveal that natural antioxidants are capable of providing protection against free radical-related diseases, cancer and other cardiovascular infections. In cognizance with these facts, natural antioxidant attracts a great deal of research interest; therefore, this review provides a comprehensive and an up-to-date overview of the three most essential natural plant antioxidants; their antioxidative properties, methods of analysis and evaluation. These Polyphenols comprise: Phenolic acid, an essential polyphenol that are broadly dispersed in plants to exert positive influence on oxidative stress; Flavonoid, an ubiquitous antioxidant that functions in free radical scavenging, metal ion chelation and enzymes inhibition to suppress the synthesis of free radicals; and Tannic acid, a water soluble anti-nutrient that acts to precipitate alkaloids & proteins, reduce mineral & vitamin utilization and restrict the activities of digestive enzymes. In conclusion, a variety of plant species were characterized to indicate in vitro antioxidative properties.

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A Cross-sectional Study was carried out to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal (G.I.)  helminths parasites in slaughtered cattle at Azare abattoir, Katagum Local Government Area, Bauchi State, North-Eastern Nigeria. One hundred and twenty faecal samples were examined using the floatation and sedimentation method. Out of the total samples tested, G.I. helminths infections were detected in 62samples tested, giving an overall prevalence of 51.6%. Class nematodes are the most diverse class (56.5%) and then followed by trematodes (35.5%), while cestodes are the least prevalent (8.1%). There was a statistically significant difference in P-value >0.05.  The sex revealed that males (52.6%) are more susceptible to G.I. helminths infection than females (50.0%) even though there is no statistical difference at P-value >0.05. However, the prevalence of G.I. helminths to age revealed a statistical difference at P-value >0.05, where the young have the highest prevalence of 59.5%.  The Red Bororo breeds had the highest prevalence of 75%, while the least was recorded in White Fulani and Sokoto Gudali, 40% each. There was a statistically significant difference at P-value >0.05. This study revealed that Fasciola spp (15%) is the most prevalent G.I. helminths parasites detected, followed by Oesophagostomum spp (11.7%); Haemonchus spp (9.2%); Strongyloides spp (8.3%), Schistosoma spp (3.3%); and Moniezia spp (1.67%). Our findings from the present study revealed a high prevalence of G.I. helminths species affecting cattle in Azare and Nigeria as a whole. Therefore, there is a great need for proper advocacy on the need for appropriate management, regular deworming practices, and improved cattle hygiene to boost animal production. This will help in curbing great lost to Nigeria's economy and the world in general.

Urinary schistosomiasis, a water-based disease, is endemic to Nigeria. The infection is transmitted by trematodes known as Schistosoma haematobium. The goal of this study was to determine the occurrence of urinary schistosomiasis among primary school children in the Zaki Local Government Area, Bauchi State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study involving 300 school pupils from three primary schools in Zaki was conducted between June and November of 2021. The urine samples were examined with the sedimentation technique to detect S. haematobium eggs. Data on socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors were obtained through a well-structured questionnaire. In SPSS version 24, the associations between the dependent and independent variables were evaluated with Chi-square, bivariate, and multiple logistic regression analyses. The strength of associations was determined with the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval. Urinary schistosomiasis was found in 29.7% of school-aged children in the three primary schools. Significantly higher prevalence was observed in the Almajiri (informal) school (59.6%) and one public primary school (31.5%), P = 0.001. Boys were four times more likely than girls to have schistosomiasis [AOR (95% CI): 4.38 (2.23–8.60)]. Children who played in shallow water had a higher risk of contracting schistosomiasis infection and were five times more likely to be infected [AOR (95% CI): 5.14 (1.97–13.37)]. Children who had blood in their urine (hematuria) were nearly nine times more likely to be infected [AOR (95% CI): 9.64 (4.79–20.66)]. The present study indicated that urinary schistosomiasis is endemic to the study area in the Zaki Local Government Area, with a moderate infection rate.

Thousands of foodborne pathogens are causing a great number of diseases with significant effects on human health and economy. Foodborne pathogens can contaminate food items not only during production and processing, but also at the time of storage and transport before consuming. During their growth, these microorganisms are capable of secreting different type of toxins into the extracellular environment. Likewise, other harmful substances can be also released and can contaminate food after breakup of food pathogens. Many microbial toxins can withstand inactivation, and can endure harsh treatment during food processing. Many of these molecules are partaken in cellular processes and can display different mechanisms of pathogenesis of foodborne organisms. Thus studying the properties of foodborne pathogens can help in the understanding of their contamination and inactivation. In the present review, we discussed extensively on the properties of foodborne pathogens including bacteria, viruses and parasites. In addition, some of the diseases caused by foodborne pathogens and the mechanism of their pathogenesis were also discussed.