Development of a macroinvertebrate-based biotic index to assess water quality of rivers in Niger State, North Central Ecoregion of Nigeria.

The increasing pollution of lotic ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Nigeria, poses a threat to water quality, public health and biodiversity. It is therefore essential to develop appropriate tools and methods for monitoring these rivers, particularly in heavily affected areas, where these water resources are vital to the surrounding communities that are heavily dependent on them. To fill this gap, we propose to develop a multimetric index based on macroinvertebrates for the assessment of ecological quality of rivers in Niger State (NSRBI).

Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities of two industrial beers produced in Ivory Coast.

Beer is a world-famous beverage that is universally popular. This might be as an effect of its sensory, nutritional, and therapeutic qualities. To date, in Côte d'Ivoire, no study has been carried out focused on the eventual health benefits of industrial beer consumption.

Isolation, Identification and Evaluation of the Effects of Native Entomopathogenic Fungi from Côte d'Ivoire on .

The fall armyworm, (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a polyphagous pest highly damaging to maize and other food crops in Africa, particularly in Côte d'Ivoire. Chemical pesticides not only have often proved to be unsuccessful, but cause adverse effects on the environment and human health; therefore, entomopathogenic fungi could represent an alternative biocontrol solution. Against this background, fungi were isolated from soil samples collected in maize fields in three regions of Côte d'Ivoire, by the methods of soil dilution and baiting with .

Functional properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Ivory Coast.

Background: Probiotics have recently been applied in aquaculture as eco-friendly alternatives to antibiotics to improve fish health, simultaneously with the increase of production parameters. The present study aimed to investigate the functional potential of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from the gut of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) originating from the aquaculture farm of Oceanologic Research Center in Ivory Coast.

Results: Twelve LAB strains were identified by 16 S rDNA gene sequence homology analysis belonging to two genera Pediococcus (P.

Assessment of the variability of the morphological traits and differentiation of Cucurbita moschata in Cote d'Ivoire.

With its predisposition to adapt to different environments, Cucurbita moschata grows well in various ecosystems. It is not a very exigent plant and has an inherent capacity for plasticity that underlies its large variability. An assessment of the accessions of C.

Textural and physicochemical predictors of sensory texture and sweetness of boiled plantain.

Boiled pulp is a major form of consumption for plantain. We assessed instrumental (puncture test and texture profile analysis) and sensory texture attributes of 13 plantain cultivars, two cooking hybrids and one dessert banana at different stages of ripeness after cooking in boiling water. Firmness, chewiness, stickiness, mealiness, sweetness and moistness described sensory variability, which was greater between stages of ripeness than between types of cultivars.

Organic production of vinegar from mango and papaya.

The study describes the transformation of mangoes of the local variety "Assabonou" and papaya solo No.8 into alcohol and then into vinegar through the process of directed fermentation. Indeed, mango and papaya juices extracted from ripe fruits contained in vials are first subjected to an alcoholic fermentation with in anaerobic conditions and secondly to an acetic fermentation with strains of acetic acid bacteria cultivated from unpasteurized cider vinegar.

Toxin Production and Resistance of Species Isolated from Fermented Artisanal Dairy Products in Benin.

species are considered as one of the major pathogens causing outbreaks of food poisoning. The aim of this work was to assess the toxinogenic and antibiotic susceptibility profiles of the strains of spp isolated from three types of fermented dairy products (yoghourt, millet , and couscous ). The isolation of the strains was performed on selective media, and their identification was done using biochemical and molecular methods.

Floristic evidence for alternative biome states in tropical Africa.

The idea that tropical forest and savanna are alternative states is crucial to how we manage these biomes and predict their future under global change. Large-scale empirical evidence for alternative stable states is limited, however, and comes mostly from the multimodal distribution of structural aspects of vegetation. These approaches have been criticized, as structure alone cannot separate out wetter savannas from drier forests for example, and there are also technical challenges to mapping vegetation structure in unbiased ways.

Identification of hazards and critical control points during attiéké (a fermented cassava product) process in Côte d'Ivoire.

Attiéké is the major fermented plant food in Côte d'Ivoire. The aim of this study was to identify hazards and critical control points (CCP) in order to implement a HACCP system for the production of attiéké. Physico-chemical and microbiological analyses were carried out.

Assessment of safety risks associated with pork meat sold on the market in Abidjan city (Côte d'Ivoire) using surveys and microbial testing.

Pork meat is consumed in several forms base on the mode of cooking in Côte d'Ivoire. It is most often braised, grilled or cooked in soup. The aim of this study was to assess the importance of pork meat consumption in the diet of the Ivorian population.

, a Candidate Parasitoid for the Biological Control of in Africa, is already Present on the Continent.

The fall armyworm, , a moth originating from tropical and subtropical America, has recently become a serious pest of cereals in sub-Saharan Africa. Biological control offers an economically and environmentally safer alternative to synthetic insecticides that are being used for the management of this pest. Consequently, various biological control options are being considered, including the introduction of , the main egg parasitoid of in the Americas, where it is already used in augmentative biological control programmes.

Vermicompost utilization: A way to food security in rural area.

The increase in agricultural production as well as its nutritional quality at a cost bearable by producers is today a challenge in rural areas. Vermicompost is a low-cost organic amendment known for its effectiveness on agricultural productivity increase but little is diffused about its efficacy on nutritional quality. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of vermicompost from cattle dung on yield and its edible parts content in mineral and in heavy metal compared to raw dung.

Assessing biomass diversity and performance of an activated sludge process treating saline table olive processing wastewater.

This study aimed to determine the effects of salinity on the biomass behavior and its diversity in activated sludge process (ASP) treating the table olive processing wastewater (TOPW), and to evaluate ASP performances under increased TOPW concentration feeding, the numerical abundance, diversity and activity of the biomass, removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), phenolic compounds, nitrogen and phosphorus were evaluated. Results showed that biomass growth is very high and became faster according to an increase in the percentage of TOPW feeding and reached 5.2 g l.

Glycemic Responses, Glycemic Index, and Glycemic Load Values of Some Street Foods Prepared from Plantain (Musa spp., AAB Genome) in Côte d'Ivoire.

The glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) of four culinary preferences including five local street dishes prepared from three varieties of plantain at different maturity stages was determined. The GI was obtained following ISO/FDI 26642:2010 protocol, and the GL was calculated from test foods' GI, considering the amount of available carbohydrate in the traditional portion size. GI values were 44 for Klaclo (with Ameletiha variety at all black stage), 39 for Aloco (with Agnrin variety at full yellow stage), 39 for Aloco (with Agnrin variety at full yellow with black spots stage); 45 for Chips (with Ameletiha variety at green stage) and 89 for Banane braisée (with Afoto variety at light green stage).

Allocation strategies of savanna and forest tree seedlings in response to fire and shading: outcomes of a field experiment.

The forest-savanna ecotone may be very sharp in fire-prone areas. Fire and competition for light play key roles in its maintenance, as forest and savanna tree seedlings are quickly excluded from the other ecosystem. We hypothesized a tradeoff between seedling traits linked to fire resistance and to competition for light to explain these exclusions.

Vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in the Comoe River Basin (West Africa).

Climate change is impacting water users in many sectors: water supply, farming, industry, hydropower, fishing, housing, navigation and health. Existing situations, like population growth, movement of populations from rural to urban areas, poverty and pollution can aggravate the impacts of climate change. The aim of the study is to evaluate the vulnerability of different water user groups to climate change and define communities' adaptation strategies in the Comoe River Basin.

Variation in susceptibility pattern of fish to Argulus siamensis: Do immune responses of host play a role?

Branchiuran ectoparasites of the genus Argulus can have extensive damaging effects on cultured fish. There exist no systematic studies that evaluate susceptibility or resistance of various carp species to Argulus sp. and the underlying mechanisms.

Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) landraces from Cameroon.

A procedure to regenerate cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) cultivars from Cameroon via somatic embryogenesis (SE) was developed. Shoot apical meristems and immature leaf lobes were used as explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium containing 33 or 50 µM of the auxins Picloram (Pic), 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), Dicamba (Dic), and α-Naphthalene acetic acid. Cultivar performance was assessed using SE and number of somatic embryos produced.