jbas
|
|
|
Abstract: The study ascertained the determinants of catfish production in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria having ascertained from literature that greater improvement in catfish production can be achieved with a proper analysis that will lead to knowledge of the profitability of catfish production in the country. Ascertaining the factors influencing catfish production in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria was done based on this line of thinking. Data obtained from one hundred and twenty catfish farmers in Akwa Ibom State using multi-stage sampling procedure were analysed using descriptive statistics, budgeting technique and multiple regression. Findings reveal that 79.17% of the respondents were males, with an average age of 41 years; and 80% of them having formal education. The average monthly income of the respondents was N 32, 500.50 and their average year of fishing experience was four years. Results show that catfish production was profitable in the study area yielding a net income of N 18,539,760.00. The costs of fingerlings, pond construction, feed/chemicals, as well as fishing experience and amount spent on salary/labour were the significant factors influencing catfish production in the study area. It is recommended, among others, that catfish farmers in the study area be encouraged to form co-operatives to enhance their ability to access necessary inputs such as feed/chemicals at a subsidized rate. This will lead to an increase in the total revenue earned from catfish production. Keywords: Clarias gariepinus, farming, profitability, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria. Download Full Article |
|
|
|
Abstract: The study is the elementary step to determine the causes of spoilage of fermented products and factors that could be remove to acquire the hygienic fermented products. Pickle is one of the mostly used fermented products especially as a side dish in Eastern countries, but it is developing a high rate of infectious diseases either due to its failing probiotic activity or due to increase harmful microbial flora in the pickle which are dominating the probiotics. The study is based on the determination of microbial load present in the pickle using MPN technique. The growth of fungi such as Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus, and bacteria Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus were isolated from the pickles samples used in this study. By using MPN technique, It was observed that the pickle of Rizwan Company had 1100 colonies in 100 ml of sample which can be extremely dangerous for consumption and the pickle from another brand Sundip Company showed the lowest amount i.e. 28 colonies in 100 ml of sample. Other brands that were tested also showed higher amount of organisms in between 150 to 460 colonies in 100 ml of sample. Elimination of the microbial load of pickle also performed on the pickle of National Company that gave a marvelous result the amount of organisms is dropped from 150 colonies to 11 colonies in 100 ml of sample. This study provides preliminary work and open new doors in assessing and improving the quality of pickles available in the market. Keywords: Fermentation, Probiotics, Pickle, Elimination, Consumption. |
|
|
|
Abstract: Table salt is most widely used food additive around the globe. Any contamination to salt may lead to health hazards and ailments. In this study concentration of heavy metals were determined in different table salt sample. Twelve different salt sample were collected from various localities of Pakistan including all the four provinces. The concentration lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn) and Copper (Cu) were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy and compared it with Codex Alimentarius commission. The level of Pb, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn and Cu were in the range of 0.1-2.96 mg/kg, 0.08-1.18 mg/kg,0.02-2.4 mg/kg, 2.5-16.7 mg/kg, 0.1-5.1 mg/kg, 0.6-3.1 mg/kg respectively. In most of the sample the level of toxic metal are within the permissible limits as prescribed by Codex Alimentarius Commission. Keywords: Heavy Metals, Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Codex Alimentarius Comission, Iranian Food standard. |
|
|
|
Abstract: H2 receptor antagonists are still the first line of therapy in treating gastro esophageal reflux diseases as well as other ulcers of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Accelerated stability studies of different brands of Famotidine tablets (20mg) and suspension(10mg/5ml),both liquid and dry, were carried out at 40 oC ± 2 oC (Temperature) and 75% R.H. ± 5% R.H. The assay of tablets was conducted by both HPLC and UV/Visible Spectrophotometric methods whereas for suspensions only UV/Visible Spectrophotometric method was used. The tests were conducted at 0, 1, 3 and 6 months as per guidelines of ICH for accelerated studies. The results of physical tests indicated that the dissolution of tablet decreases in all cases with time whereas disintegration of all brands was found within 15 minutes throughout the course of study while the hardness demonstrated to be decline with time. Kinetic treatment to determine rate constants and shelf lives indicated that dry suspension was more stable than liquids while the tablets showed stability for three years which was parallel to their claimed expiry. Among tablets, brand A was the most stable and among suspensions, brand C showed the longest stability. The stability studies were also carried out by using a software R-Gui (version 2.13) and results were compared with manually calculated results. Keywords: Famotidine, Stability, Software generated shelf life,Formulations,ICH stability guidelines. |
|
|
|
Abstract: Pesticide is considered as the most widely used form of agricultural chemical. Pesticide residue is the remaining pesticide on or in soil after pesticide is applied on agriculture soil. Soil is a component that is crucial to life. The research purposely concerned on major effects that could be contributed from medium to unlimited application of pesticide. The soil samples were systematically collected from 5 plots and Paraquat residues concentrations were determined in dissimilar depth of soil layers. The herbicide used was Paraquat that contained Paraquat Dichloride. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis detected the peak area volumes of Paraquat in soil samples at level ranging from 0.3 to 5.9 mg/l. The concentration of Paraquat in sandy clay loam soil showed that herbicide leached downward to the depth of 15 cm. The maximum concentration of Paraquat residue was detected at 0 to15 cm of soil depth at 2.783 mg/l. In highly organic soils, adsorption is weaker and Paraquat remains herbicidally active for longer, up to 29 days in one trial on soil with 98% organic matter [1]. Oral dose, LD50 for human is equal to 40-60 mg/kg [2] while the lowest fatal dose recorded for human was 17 mg/kg, but even lower doses may be fatal for children [3]. Keywords: Paraquat, pesticide residue, herbicide, sandy clay loam soil, high performance liquid chromatography.Download Full Article |
