Solanum tuberosum (Potato) is one of the essential economic crops with the potential to reduce hunger due to its high yield per unit area of land compared with many economic crops. However, its yield losses due to pest and disease attacks could be as high as 100%, depending on its tolerance level and pest and disease. Over the years, several disease management strategies have been researched, ranging from synthetic pesticides to the formulation of biopesticides as disease control measures. Moreso, recent breakthroughs in genetic engineering have simplified plant disease management strategies by developing techniques for conferring resistance on plants. Potato is a vital food crop worldwide, and with the struggle to suppress world food insecurity, effective disease management strategies must be employed for high production of quality and quantity potato, enough to feed the ever-increasing world population. Therefore, attention must be given to how disease-free potatoes can be produced to meet the unending demand for food by the continually increasing world population.
Pectinases, like other industrial enzymes are usually expensive. The use of pineapple peel pectin as substrate is triggered by the large tones of pineapple waste generated in Nigeria. Oil extraction by mechanical/chemical means have associated disadvantages. This research aimed at employing locally produced pectinase for coconut-oil extraction and to compare the yield with commercial pectinase. Fifty grammes of dried pineapple peel powder were employed for pectin production. Aspergillus niger isolated from cassava meal was employed to produce pectinase using submerged fermentation for seven days. The activity of pectinase was determined at 24 h interval. The pectinase was partially purified using 3% activated carbon, characterized and employed to extract oil from coconut. The yield of pectin from the pineapple peels was 24.8% after 1 h of extraction time. Highest pectinase activity was observed on day five. Optimum conditions were 40°C, 5.0 and 1% respectively for temperature, pH and substrate concentration. The enzyme was completely inactive after 5 min of heating at 90°C and metal ion (Mg2+) stimulated its activity. The mean oil yield from the locally produced pectinase was greater than the commercial pectinase. The pectinase produced from this study enhanced coconut-oil extraction when compared with the mechanical method.
Tannase (Tannin acyl hydrolase, EC 3.1.1.20) is an enzyme produced in the presence of tannic acid by various filamentous fungi. They are produced principally by fungi of the genus Aspergillus and Penicillium. The enzyme is used in the food and beverage industry as a clarifying agent for wines, beers and fruit juices. In Africa, billions of dollars are expended yearly on the importation of commercial enzymes for the food and pharmaceutical industries and this increases the cost of production and the finished goods. This study was carried out to isolate tannase producing fungal species using Bambara nuts as a substrate in a bid to finding alternatives to the importation of tannase. Fresh Bambara nuts were collected from different locations in Nigeria. They were cleaned, sorted and intermittently moistened with water to encourage fungal growth for fourteen days. The different fungi obtained after fourteen days were inoculated onto Potato Dextrose Agar plates and incubated at 25°C for five days. Subculturing of fungal isolates was carried out to obtain pure cultures of isolates. Tannilytic activity (hydrolysis of tannin) of isolates was assessed by inoculating them in media containing tannin. The plates were incubated at 25°C for 2-5 days after which the plates were observed and zones of hydrolysis measured. A total of eighteen isolates were obtained. They were all members of the Aspergillus genus. 56% (10) of the isolates were able to degrade tannin acid with mean zone of hydrolysis of 39mm ±23.7 mm (Range 10-70mm). This study established members of the Aspergillus genus isolated from Bambara nuts as viable fungi for application in the production of tannase. This study adds to existing reports on fungal production of tannase.
The spectrum of Clostridium perfringens infections ranges from food toxinosis to myonecrosis. In the current study, whole cell protein and toxin gene types were profiled in 12 randomly selected C. perfringens veterinary stock cultures from the University of Wisconsin, Madison to determine epidemio-logical similarity, or diversity amongst strains of animal origin. Whole cell protein analysis was done by SDS-PAGE while toxin gene typing was achieved by extracting DNA by boiling, DNA concentration and purity was determined by spectrophotometer and nanodrop while separation was carried out by checking it on gel electrophoresis. Multiplex PCR was used to identify the toxigenic gene-type. C. perfringens B and C. perfringens EE with established profiles were used as control strains. Isolates typed included strains cp 296, 309, 12872 (from dogs) and 304, 305, 306, 341, 342, 10754, 12218-2, 12218-3, 12473 (from calves). All 12 strains possess the cpa gene, 4 strains have cpb2, 3 strains etx, 2 strains positive for cpe and 1 for cpb. None of the strains carries the itx gene. Two strains have only cpa gene however no strains has more than two toxin gene types, with cpa-cpb2 combination be-ing more frequent. C. perfringens 305 (etx and cpa) and 342 (cpe and cpa) shared the same protein profile but belong to different toxinotype. It is evi-dent that the cpa gene is a marker for all C. perfringens strains, and similarity in protein profile is not sine qua non for toxin gene type.
The World Heal Organization (WHO) has identified malaria diagnosis as being pivotal to eradicating the disease by 2030 as stipulated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The data presented here was obtained from outpatients of a hospital in the South Western Region of Nigeria from November 2016 to May 2017. The data contains malaria incidence amongst asymptomatic and symptomatic outpatients in the period under review. Malaria incidence was obtained using two diagnostic test kits, Bioline SD (HRP-2) and ACON (HRP-2/Aldolase) alongside Microscopy as gold standard. Specificity, Sensitivity and Kappa statistic of each test device is presented in the tables herewith. Data presented here could be used alongside other data sources to assess the state of malaria diagnostics.
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