The microbiological quality of raw and processed periwinkles obtained from brackish water earthen pond of the African Regional Aquaculture Centre, Buguma, Rivers State, Nigeria was studied. The samples were harvested at exactly 11 am on a Monday morning, at high tide and water temperature of about 29°C. Ninety samples were analyzed and used for the study, which comprised the enumeration of indicator organisms and other pathogens as well as their total counts. Total bacterial counts of the samples from boiled periwinkle meat, boiled shell-on periwinkles and raw periwinkle meat were <10, 2.32-2.41 x 10 6 , and 1.65-1.86 x 10 6cfu/g, respectively. The boiled shell-on periwinkle sample had the highest level of microbial growth. The result of these microbiological examinations of boiled shell-on, raw and boiled periwinkle meat (without shell) showed that the boiled shell-on and raw periwinkle meat contained unacceptable levels of bacteria with a mean total bacterial count of 2.37 x 10 6 and 1.77 x 10 6 cfu/g, respectively. On the contrary the processed (boiled) periwinkle meat contained a total plate count of <10 cfu/g. The organisms isolated from all the periwinkle samples included Salmonella paratyphi, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Aerobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Erwinia amylovora and Serratia maracescense. Indicator organisms especially Salmonella paratyphi and Aerobacter aerogenes seemed to be more common in the isolated samples with the highest number among the isolated bacteria especially in the boiled shell-on periwinkle and raw periwinkle meat. Some psychotropic organisms such as Erwinia amylovora and Serratia maracescense were also isolated although Serratia maracescence and Proteus vulgaris were the least encountered in all the samples analysed. The fungi isolated from raw periwinkle were Fusarium species and Sacharomyces cerevisiae with a fungi load of <10 cfu/g for both samples. There was no record of any fungal load in the boiled periwinkle meat. The isolation of indicator organisms as well as other pathogens from the boiled shell on periwinkles and raw periwinkle meat should be a source of concern to the consumers especially in South/South Nigeria where they are mostly cooked with the shell on, or inadequately cooked because of some perceived medical and nutritive values.
A survey was conducted through structured questionnaires to find out consumers' preference for local chicken, its production and consumption in khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme Local Government Areas (LGAs) making up the Ogoni kingdom in Rivers State, Nigeria. The data collected were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages and ranking. The result showed that the 3 most available and preferred species of poultry were local chicken (47.5%), layer birds (21.9%) and broilers (17.5%). Most of the respondents agreed that although productivity of local fowl had fallen compared to the last 5 years, chicken meat was still popular, more available for sales and a relatively cheap source of meat and eggs for rural dwellers. The major reason given for reduced productivity was rural-urban drift in search of education and paid jobs. It is therefore believed that a sensitization campaign aimed at encouraging small and medium scale local chicken production organized by government agencies and/or nongovernmental organizations will be a sure way of increasing animal protein supply, generate employment opportunities for youths and women, increase income, alleviate poverty, reduce rural-urban drift and enhance rural livelihood in Ogoni area.
An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of using Avocado seed meal (ASM) as a feed ingredient in broiler chickens feed. One hundred and twenty (120), one day-old cobb breed of broiler chickens were used. There were four (4) experimental diets with diet 1 (T1) serving as the control treatment with no inclusion of avocado seed meal (0.00). Diets 2,3 and 4 contained 0.50,1.00 and 1.50% inclusion of ASM, respectively. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three (3) replicates per treatment. Each treatment had 30 birds with 10 birds per replicate. There were significant (P<0.05) differences in final weight and average weight gain as T2 with 0.50% inclusion of ASM was significantly (P<0.05) higher for final weight (1338.33) and average weight gain (1290.33) than other treatments. While final weight (973.30) and average weight gain (925.33) in T4 with 1.50% inclusion of ASM was significantly lower. There was no significant difference among initial weight, feed intake and FCR. Among all the biochemical parameters observed, only magnesium and urea were significantly different. Mg content was significantly higher in T4 (32.33) and the least was observed in T1 (1.80) while urea content was significantly higher in T1 (1.80) and the least was observed in T3 (1.03). From the performance parameters that was obtained, it was recommended that 0.50% of ASM should be used for broiler production in terms of body weight.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Avocado Seed Meal (ASM) on the haematological parameters as well as the carcass yield of broilers. One hundred and twenty, one day-old broiler chicks of the cobb breed were used for this experiment. The chicks were allocated to four different treatments T T , T and T fed with diets containing 0%, 0.5%, 1, 2 3 4 1.0% and 1.5% ASM, respectively. The experiment lasted for a period of eight weeks and thedata obtained were statistically analyzed. The result showed that the live weight and carcass weight of the birds were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by the experimental diet. Feed cost (N/kg) and feed cost per weight gain (N/kg gain) were highest in the control treatment which decreased as the level of ASM in the diet increased. The result also showed significant difference (P<0.05) in the WBC, platelets, neutrophils and lymphocytes while the RBC, PCV,Hb, MCV and MCH did not differ significantly (P>0.05). The results of this study showed that ASM can be incorporated up to 1.5% (15g/kg feed) of the feed, without any deleterious effect on the haematology of the birds.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.