We assessed the quality and pollution status of source surface waters in Zaria, Nigeria by monitoring the nature, cause and extent of pollution in Samaru stream, Kubanni River and Kubanni dam over a period of 10 months, between March and December 2002. A total of 228 water samples was collected from 12 sites and analysed for a total of ten physicochemical and one bacteriological quality indicators, using standard methods. Aesthetic water quality impairment parameters were also observed. The mean values of most water quality parameters were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in both the stream and river than in the dam. There was no significant correlation between faecal coliform counts (FCC) and water temperature (in the range 15-33°C); pH (5.77-7.32); and turbidity (1.4-567 NTU). The high FCC ranged from 2.0 × 10(1) to 1.6 × 10(6) MPN/100 ml and exceeded the WHO standards for drinking water and water used for fresh-produce irrigation, and correlated positively (P < 0.05) with conductivity (in the range 68-1,029 μS/cm); TDS (10.0-70.0 mg/l); TSS (10.0-70.0 mg/l); Cl (7.5-181 mg/l); PO(4)(-) P (0.01-0.41 mg/l); NO(3)(-) N (0.6-3.8 mg/l) and BOD(5) (0.1-14.9 mg/l). The main pollution sources were municipal wastewater, stormwater runoffs, the ABU sewage treatment plant, abattoir effluents and irrigation farms treated with chemical fertilisers. We conclude that these water bodies are potentially hazardous to public health and that proper sewage treatment and river quality monitoring are needed to warn against hazards to public health.
Physico-chemical analyses and sensory evaluation were carried out on commercially and freshly prepared orange juice (100%) in the laboratory and its shelf-life after the storage period of 90 days using various storage methods. At the end of the study, the result showed that the laboratory processed orange juice in terms of the nutritional composition when compared with the commercially processed orange juice had a better quality considering the parameters assessed. The results of the laboratory prepared orange juice showed that the chemically treated, pasteurized, concentrated and carbonated orange juice had pH 1.6 to 4.5, TTA 0.03 to 0.31%, maturity ratio 1.16 to 8.55, total soluble solids (TSS) ranging from 26 to 33°Brix. The vitamin C content for the untreated juice (fresh) and the commercially produced were 43 and 2.67 mg/100 ml, respectively. The experimental samples of chemically treated, pasteurized, concentrated and carbonated had vitamin C content ranging from 22-29, 27-32, 28-30 and 17-29 mg/100 ml, respectively. Sodium and phosphorus were found in small amounts ranging from 0.01-0.12 and 0.001-0.02%, respectively in the orange juice. Among the various processing methods concentrated orange juice ranked first followed by chemically treated, pasteurized and carbonated in terms of the sensory evaluation as assessed by the panelists.
Ethanol production by co-cultures of A. niger (GS4) and S. cerevisiae (BK6) was studied using cassava starch as substrate. At 1% substrate concentration ethanol yield was 0.35g/100ml while the ethanol concentration increased to a maximum of 3.60g/100ml at 8% substrate concentration. When the culture conditions were optimized, the ethanol yield further increased to 4.30g/100ml at a temperature of 35 o C, pH 5.0, 300rpm agitation rate and reduced fermentation period of 4 days.
Lentinus squarrosulus, an indigenous mushroom specie commonly found growing on dead logs in the Zaria environ of Kaduna State was cultured on six different medium which were inoculated separately with three different spawn grains and amended with six different oils at five different rates. The interaction of spawn grains x culture medium had a highly significant effect on carpophore dry weight and stipe and pileus diameters of L. squarrosulus. The results reveal that the interaction of millet spawn x animal bedding and rice medium induced the widest stipe diameter while the interaction of corn spawn x animal bedding and rice medium induced the heaviest carpophore dry weight as well as the widest pileus diameter.
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