Abstract: Enzymes are biological catalysts, which initiate and speed up thousands of biochemical reactions in living cells. Among industrially important enzymes, amylases, protease and cellulases are getting more attention and importance because these enzymes have wide applications in many fields. For instance, amylases are used in various industries such as food, detergent, paper, textile, beverage, pharmaceutical and fine-chemical industries. Thermophiles are a potent source of thermos enz...
Abstract: The study was conducted to evaluate and characterize cultured Dhanaan (camel milk fermented using commercial starter cultures) with the following objectives; evaluation of the microbial safety of traditionally fermented Dhanaan, evaluation of the acidification activities of commercial starter cultures in camel milk, proteomic/peptidomics characterization of cultured Dhanaan and aromatic characterization of cultured Dhanaan. Shotgun metagenomic approach of 16S rRNA gene amplicon was...
Abstract: Most rural populations in developing countries use surface water which is turbid in appearance and contaminated with human feces which needs treatment. Even if there are synthetic chemicals that can reduce turbidity and pathogenic organisms from drinking water, they are neither cost effective nor eco-friendly. Instead, natural coagulants are eco-friendly solutions with minimum health risks if properly tested and promoted to be used by community dependent on such unsafe water source...
Abstract: Frequent use of antibiotics to stimulate growth and health of animals is becoming a common animal production practice. However, this leads to the development of antibiotic-resistant populations of microorganisms. In this context, alternatives like herbs and spices to antibiotics are of importance, as they are natural products. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to (1) evaluate the effects of Lepidium sativum (Garden cress, GC, Experiment I) and Capsicum frutescens (Hot red pe...
Abstract: The experiment was conducted at Haramaya University compound, to evaluate three beneficial local microorganism (BLM) harvesting protocols and the effect of application rate and ensiling period of barley straw (BS) with beneficial local microorganism solution on its silage quality. The three procedures Niva, Rodrigueze and Davenport were used for production of beneficial local microorganism solution with three replication in a completely randomized design for each treatment (procedu...
Abstract: Cowpea is a multipurpose legume crop that serves as human food, livestock fodder, and income source and is widely produced in sub-Saharan Africa. Soil fertility and attack by insect pests and diseases are significant limitations to its production. Although farm inputs such as phosphate-rich fertilizers and pesticides can solve the mentioned constraints, they are costly for resource-poor farmers. This study aimed at determining the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation ...
Abstract: Phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria cause enormous crop yield losses worldwide. Over the years, management of plant pathogens has primarily relied on the use of synthetic chemical antimicrobials and development of disease resistant varieties. Exploration for biologically active compounds from plants with an aim of discovery and development of novel and eco-friendly biopesticides to combat current and emerging phytopathogens has received increased interest in the recent past. This st...
Abstract: Maize is a staple food crop in Kenya with about 90% of the rural households depending on it. However, the grain is vulnerable to degradation by mycotoxin producing fungi in the field and during storage. Mycotoxins produced by these fungi cause significant economic losses and deleterious health effects to humans and animals. Strategies such as storage of maize in hermetic bags have been developed to reduce post-harvest grain losses due to pest attack, fungal growth and mycotoxin con...
Abstract: Tsetse flies (Glossina sp) are the vector of African trypanosomes, the causative agents of sleeping sickness in man and Nagana in cattle. The insect is strictly hematophagous, taking in significantly high quantities of water during bloodmeals that present a considerable osmotic challenge. This necessitates machinery for eliminating excess water. One potential candidate is a group of membrane channel proteins called aquaporins (AQPs) that are responsible for the movement of water ac...
Abstract: Smallholder subsistence farming is important in the production of food crops for basic livelihoods and income generation in rural areas. However, yields have remained low due to high disease, weed and pest incidences. Currently, crop pests and diseases are largely controlled by use of chemicals, which have adverse effects on the environment and nontarget organisms. There is need for new methods that are environmentally safe to supplement existing control strategies in order to enha...
Abstract: Insect pollination sustains the biodiversity of 90% of wild plants, and 75% of crop species for food and nutritional security. Chemical pesticides used to manage arthropod pests constitute a key driver to the unprecedented declines of insect pollinators worldwide. Hence, biopesticides based on entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are being promoted as safer alternatives. The effects of EPF on insect pollinators have not been investigated in detail for the application in pollinator-resource...
Abstract: Crickets are drawing interest as sustainable source of protein for food and feed worldwide. However, there is little information on microbial quality of edible crickets thus the need for a profound insight into their safety. The objective of the study was to determine the microbial load of two edible cricket species Scapsipedus icipe and Gryllus bimaculatus and to evaluate the efficiency of different processing methods (boiling, sundrying, freeze-drying, snap freezing and deep fryi...
Abstract: Xenorhabdus is a bacteria genus of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Bacteria of this genus form a mutualistic relationship with Steinernema entomopathogenic nematodes. More so, their antimicrobial production serves as a potential source of novel antibiotics in the wake of growing antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to establish the phylogenetic relationship of three Xenorhabdus isolates to the 24 described species of the genus based on the 16s rRNA gene. Secondly, it aimed to ...
Abstract: Sustainable mango production will rely increasingly on alternatives to conventional chemical insecticides that are environmentally friendly for the management of fruit flies. The use of microbial control agents such as fungi in pest suppression is considered suitable since micro-organisms usually exert low environmental impact and are target specific. Application methods of bio-pesticides in the environment, which use minimal amount of inoculum is currently under improvement from i...
Abstract: The possibility of adaptation to host resistance by field strains of R. appendiculatus was investigated by comparing the feeding and breeding performance of two field strains with a laboratory strain (Muguga) which has been bred and maintained for about 30 years on susceptible rabbits. Results have shown that the laboratory strain has smaller eggs and smaller unfed larvae, nymphs and adults than the field strains. When fed on susceptible rabbits the laboratory strain females laid e...