Igwilo Onyeze Innocent

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka | Unizik · Department of Applied Biochemistry

Baker's yeast has been employed in the manufacturing of bread for at least 6,000 years ago. They are responsible for dough leavening and without them sugar in the dough will not be reduced and the substrate will be left unleavened. They have been identified by Scientists as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and are easily obtainable from fermenting fruits a...

Flours are among the essential raw materials used in industries such as food, pharmaceutical and other industries for the production of different products. Scarcity and undesirable qualities of flours now lead to search for plant materials of improved qualities from which flours of high value can be isolated. Improved variety of sorghum and cassava...

Background: Yeasts are among the important microorganisms useful to man. Some are applied in food because of their protein and are used in food industries such as brewing, baking etc. This Study aims to isolate and characterize yeast strains from "burukutu", Shaddock juice and "fura" (millet meal) as well to determine the efficacy of the isolated y...

Yeasts had been known to man to be very important in everyday life. They can be associated with ethanol production, beer brewing, bread baking and many other applications in different industries. Researchers had postulated the presence of yeasts in fermenting beverages such as palm wine, grapes, burukutu and many other agricultural products. This w...

This work compared the nutritional and phytochemical compositions, antioxidant capacities of fermented castor oil and soursop seeds. The seeds of castor oil and soursop were fermented traditionally and standard methods were applied for the determination of the phytochemical, proximate, vitamins, minerals and in vitro antioxidant activity. The phyto...

This work compared the nutritional and phytochemical compositions, antioxidant capacities of fermented castor oil and soursop seeds. The seeds of castor oil and soursop were fermented traditionally and standard methods were applied for the determination of the phytochemical, proximate, vitamins, minerals and in vitro antioxidant activity. The phyto...

Background: Chrysophyllum albidum has been widely consumed for its flesh part as a fruit snack and source of vitamins but also grossly under-utilized because of dearth of knowledge on nutritional and therapeutic potencies of other fruit parts. This study thus aimed to comparatively determine the nutritional, phytochemical and in vitro antioxidant p...

The incident of heavy metal intoxication and its antecedent health effect are on the rise, owing mainly to anthropogenic activities that severely perturb the natural distribution of heavy metals. The level of select heavy metals (Hg, As, Pb and Cd) were assayed in three popular brands of locally farmed (Nigerian), Thai, Indian and Chinese rice comm...

Moringa oleifera plant has been used as an essential vegetarian diet to bridge the gap in protein energy demands in the West African sub-region. Since parts of the plant have multi-purpose uses, the comparative studies on the nutrient composition and anti-nutritional factors in the different parts of the plant found in Awka, Nigeria were studied. T...

The use of Moringa oleifera seed as an ingredient in the formulation of nutraceuticals has gained prominence in recent times. This study investigated the acute and sub-acute effect of the ethanol extract of M. oleifera seed. For the acute toxicity study a total of 17 mice were used, and the LD 50 of the extract calculated using the geometric mean m...

The acute toxicity tests lasting 96 hours were performed on Clarias gariepinus of mean weight 138 ± 12g and mean total length of 28.0 ± 1.5 cm. The LD50 of lead nitrate was 57.5mg/l. The experiment lasted for 70days after the control and the experimental groups were exposed to sub-lethal concentrations (20mg/l and 35mg/l) of lead nitrate. Haemoglob...

Hyperlipidemia is a disease condition characterized by the elevation of all lipid levels in the blood. It is an important risk factor in artherosclerosis which can lead to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Cassia fistula linn (caesalpinaceae) tree is one of the most widespread in the forest of India, usually occurring in deciduous forests. The phytoch...

The evergreen plant, Moringa oleifera (Lam) has been known to have both medicinal and nutritional properties, thus its wide use in traditional medicine in Africa and Asia. The roots, in particular, have been reported to possess antibiotic, anti-tumour and anti-oxidative activities. This study therefore seeks to determine the levels of the anti-nutr...

ABSTRACT Seasonal bioaccumulation of heavy metals namely, Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg) and Arsenic (As) in the shellfish of Macrobrachium rosenbergi from Niger River at Onitsha were studied using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Results showed presence of all the analysed metals in the shellfish tissue. Mean...

Africa has of recent subjected herself to a double disease burden-the endemic poverty with its associated infections and non-communicable diseases, which hitherto, were almost non-existent in the past, due to the large consumption of cereals, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. These are known to mop-up free radicals. The English walnut, Juglans r...

This work was designed to investigate the suitable organic solvent(s) for the effective removal of Thevetia peruviana glycoside in the seed. The anti-nutritional status of the seed was also assessed. Of all anti-nutrients screened (Tannins, Phlobatannins, Saponin, Flavonoids, Cardiac glycoside and Lectins) in the seed meal, only Cardiac glycoside (...

Moringa oleifera is a multipurpose tree, cultivated in the tropics and sub-tropics for its nutritional and therapeutic properties. The raw matured seeds which have been reported to be used as food and clarifying agent of turbid water caused growth retardation in albino rats and this might have been due to its antinutritional contents. Owing to thes...

The proximate compositions of raw and cooked nuts of Tetracarpidium conophorum (African walnut) were quantitatively evaluated using the methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). The results of the study showed that the raw and cooked walnut contain 2.0% and 31.0% moisture and 19.39% and 15.90% carbohydrate respectively. The...

Cajanus cajan seeds constitute a major part of the diet in most parts of Eastern Nigeria. In this study, the seeds were evaluated on some indices of good health in normal male albino rats. Two groups of six rats each were used for the experiment. The C. cajan seeds were compounded (1:1) with commercial rat pellet and fed to the test rats while the...

Cajanus cajan seeds constitute a major part of the diet in most parts of Eastern Nigeria. In this study, the seeds were evaluated on some indices of good health in normal male albino rats. Two groups of six rats each were used for the experiment. The C. cajan seeds we re compounded (1:1) with commercial rat pellet and fed to the test rats while th...

Alpha- amylase enzyme was characterized from the saliva samples collected from one hundred healthy adult smokers and fifty non smokers (control) in order to determine the effects of temperature, pH and substrate concentration on the kinetics of the enzyme. The analysis of the saliva samples revealed specific activities ranging from 1.25 to 2.20U/mg...

Moringa oleifera is a multipurpose tree, cultivated in the tropics and sub-tropics for its nutritional and therapeutic properties. The raw matured seeds which have been reported to be used as food and clarifying agent of turbid water caused growth retardation in albino rats and this might have been due to its anti-nutritional contents. Owing to the...

ABSTRACT The nutritional and therapeutic properties of Moringa oleifera cannot be overemphasized, since all the parts of the plant (leaves, seeds, root, bark, pods etc.) have been reported to possess anti-biotic, anti-hypertensive, anti-tumor and anti-oxidative activities. This study, seeks to determine the effect of defatted Moringa oleifera seed...

This study investigated the antidiarrhoeal activity of zinc, aqueous extract of cashew leaf and zinc enriched leaf extract. Diarrhoea was induced in wistar albino rats by the administration of 2 ml of castor oil. The negative control group received normal saline while the positive control group received loperamide-a standard antidiarrhoeal drug. Zi...

The proximate compositions of raw and cooked nuts of Tetracarpidium conophorum (African walnut) were quantitatively evaluated using the methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). The results of the study showed that the raw and cooked walnut contain 2.0% and 31.0% moisture and 19.39% and 15.90% carbohydrate respectively. The...

Moringa oleifera Lam as a National crop for economic growth and development in Nigeria – awareness and current status Ezekwesili-Ofili J.O 1, Igwilo I.O.1 and Ozumba A.N.2 1 Department of Applied Biochemistry, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria 2Department of Parasitology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria This work investigated the aw...

Abstract Background: The pathogenesis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) linked chronic diseases such as hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes has warranted the intensive search for plants with antioxidant properties. Aim: The in vitro and in vivo antioxidant properties of ethanolic leaves extract of Moringa oleifera Lam (Moringaceae) and...

The methods of Association of Analytical Chemists were used for the proximate analysis of Moringa oleifera (Lam) flower and the amino acid content determined using Technicon Sequential Multi-Sample amino acid analyzer (TSM). The flowers contain 9.44 ± 3.08fat; 25.99 ± 0.07proteins; 50.57 carbohydrates; 3.57 ± 0.12 ash; 10.43 ± 0.58 moisture an...

Oil was extracted from Moringa oleifera Lam (Moringaceae) seeds collected from Enugu, South-East Nigeria and evaluate its physico-chemical and antioxidant properties in comparism to palm oil. M. oleifera seeds gave oil yield of 41.47%. Refractive index, melting point (C) and acid value (mg KOH g) of o -1 M. oleifera oil were 1.471±0.00, 28±0.00, 3....

The amino acid content of the different parts ofMoringa oleifera plant was estimated using the Technicon sequential Multi-Sample Amino Acid Analyzer (TSM) as described by Speckman et al. The most abundant EAA are leucine, a branched-chain amino acid (24.54g/100g protein or 9.93%), arginine, a basic amino acid (19.84g/100g protein or 8.01%) and phen...

The authors assessed sachet water samples sold in Eastern Nigeria. Using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, they analyzed levels of lead, cadmium, copper, and nickel. They also analyzed other parameters, such as nitrates, sulfates, chlorides, salinity, total hardness, biological oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, and pH level. Lead levels...

Seasonal bioaccumulation of heavy metals namely, Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg) and Arsenic (As) in the Shellfish Macrobrachium rosenbergi from Niger River at Onitsha were studied using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Results showed presence of all the analyzed metals in the Shellfish tissue. Mean concentratio...

The protein quality of the raw and processed canavalia ensiformis seeds were studied, using 20 weanling wistar albino rats weighing between 55 to 65 g. In compounding of the test diets, the raw seed, cooked and cooked-defatted seeds were used differently as sources of proteins for raw (RD), cooked (CD) and cooked-defatted (CDD) diets respectively....

The nutrient composition and some anti-nutritional factors of the raw and cooked-defatted Canavalia ensiformis seeds were determined. The raw seeds recorded 24.48 ± 0. 28% crude protein, 12.40 ± 0.18% fat, 2.47 ± 0.43% crude fiber, 3.22 ± o.24% ash, while the processed seeds cooked-defatted on the other hand recorded 50.02 ± 4.71% crude protein, 5....

The authors studied the quality of water and soil samples from the Anam River in Nigeria. Using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, they analyzed levels of lead, cadmium, copper, and nickel. They also analyzed sulfates, nitrates, biological oxygen demand, total hardness, total dissolved solids, pH values, electrical conductivity, chloride, and...