Fresh Cow Milk Research Articles

SYNBIOTIC FUNCTIONAL DRINK FROM COW MILK FERMENTED WITH KEFIR AND SUPPLEMENTED WITH INULIN

Increasing awareness on health has increased demand for healthy food confirmed by raising market sales of functional food. This study aims to develop a new synergetic drink from cow milk fermented by kefir grains and supplemented by inulin. Firstly, the inulin was isolated from dahlia flower tuber while fresh cow milk was incubated with kefir grains to produce kefir probiotic drink. Next, inulin with different concentrations was added to the probiotic drink and was fermented for 48 hours at room temperature generating a symbiotic functional drink. Analysis of antimicrobial properties revealed that synbiotic drinks have antimicrobial activity and the colony unit bacteria was met the standard to be claimed as a probiotic supplement. The microbiology and physicochemical properties of kefir synbiotic drink were analyzed and the result showed better properties than the control. There was no significant difference in taste between control and kefir enriched inulin drink assessed by the panelist. Only kefir synbiotic drink supplemented by inulin of 3 and 5% determined has a significant difference in aroma. Based on that kefir enriched inulin drink has the potency to be used as a functional drink that has a synergistic combination of prebiotics and probiotics.

Poly-Phthalocyanine-Doped Graphene Oxide Nanosheet Conjugates for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Drug Residues.

Donor and acceptor phthalocyanine molecules were copolymerized and linked to graphene oxide nanosheets through amidation to yield electrocatalytic platforms on glassy carbon electrodes. The platforms were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The fabricated electrochemical catalytic surfaces were then evaluated toward electrocatalytic detection of ascorbic acid and tryptophan. These were characterized by a wide linear dynamic range and low limits of detection and quantification of 2.13 and 7.12 µM for ascorbic acid and 1.65 and 5.5 µM for tryptophan, respectively. The catalytic rate constant was 1.86 × 104 and 1.51 × 104 M−1s−1 for ascorbic acid and tryptophan, respectively. The Gibbs energy for catalytic reactions was −17.45 and −14.83 kJ mol−1 depicting a spontaneous reaction on the electrode surface. The sensor platform showed an impressive recovery when applied in real samples such as fresh cow milk, in the range 91.71–106.73% for both samples. The developed sensor therefore shows high potential for applicability for minute quantities of the analytes in real biological samples.

Perbedaan nilai gizi susu sapi setelah pasteurisasi non termal dengan HPEF (High Pulsed Electric Field)

Cow's milk is the secretion of a cow that has perfect nutritional value but is easily damaged. Efforts to extend the shelf life of milk, milk is usually stored in a box freezer or by thermal pasteurization. However, this thermal processing can change the smell, taste, colour and reduce the nutritional content of milk, especially protein, which is a heat resistant substance. Alternative non-thermal technology that HPEF can apply. The method of this research was descriptive, describing the nutritional value of milk before and after had been HPEF Implementation. After non-thermal pasteurized cow's milk with HPEF, the nutritional value of cow's milk was better than fresh cow's milk. In unprocessed milk with HPEF, the fat content decreased by 3,77%. Protein content increased 0,15%, lactose 0,29%, and increased mineral content 0,05%. The TPC test on milk showed 6,91 x 102 cfu/ml. HPEF implementation can effectively reduce fat levels, increase protein, lactose levels, and increase mineral levels in milk. Non-thermal pasteurized cow's milk with HPEF can be immediately ready for consumption

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of Enteric Bacteria from Fresh cow milk and handlers in Zaria Metropolis, Kaduna State Nigeria

A bacteriological examination of raw cow milk for the isolation of enteric based bacteria was conducted on milking cows and their handlers from selected farms in four Local Governments in Zaria, Kaduna State. The aim of the study was to check the quality of the raw cow’s milk and also verify the rate of contaminations of the raw cow’s milk from external sources which are regarded as environmental pathogens during and after milking processes. A total of 105 samples; 42 raw milks from lactating cows, 42 swabs from cow teat, 16 swabs from herd handlers and 5 samples from water used in the cleaning process were obtained. The raw milk samples were screened using a Methylene dye reagent to check its microbial load before analysis began, the total bacteria count (TBC) and total coliform count (TCC) were analyzed using the standard cultural methods. The isolates were identified using the standard biochemical procedure and Microgen TM System (GN-ID A+B Kit). Results revealed that one hundred and two (102) bacteria consisting of Seventy-six (76) Polymicrobial and twenty-six (26) single cultures were recovered as positive culture while three (3) had no growth. The mean TBC and TCC of raw milk observed in this study were 2.56 ± 0.40 x104cfu/ml and 1.06 ± 0.16 x104cfu/ml respectively. Acinetobacter iwoffi and other members of Enterobacteriaceae isolates were resistant to tetracycline (68.75%), erythromycin (71.74%) and metronidazole (100%), while high susceptibility was observed to gentamicin (94.34%) and chloramphenicol (80.85%). High bacterial contaminations including Multidrug-resistant bacteria were observed in this study, contaminations were majorly from improper pre and post dipping processes and the use of non-portable water

Most Probable Number of Escherichia Coli in Fresh Milk at KPSP Ijen Makmur, Licin Sub-District, Banyuwangi

The study aimed to identify the total number of E. coli used in fresh cow milk in KPSP Ijen Makmur. The sample was used by as many as 16 samples from a group of cattle farmers. E. coli analyzed using Most Probable Number (MPN), 3 series of tubes. Before continuing the MPN test the milk must be diluted, 25 ml of milk was poured into the dilution of the 225ml peptone water buffered then homogenized for 2 minutes. MPN consist of presumptive coliform test if positive was found of gas and was cloudy, presumptive faecal coliform test positive was found in the gas and was cloudy, confirmed E.coli test if there was a black colony with or metallic green, continued by a biochemical test with red ring-positive Indole, Methyl Red positive the color is red, negative Voges Paskauer if there is no change in color, and negative citrate will turn green. Results showed that from the 16 samples of fresh milk used there were 7 samples of fresh milk that exceeded the contamination limit E. coli or < 3 apm /ml. Conclusion, number of E. coli in fresh milk at KPSP Ijen Makmur 43.75% of the total sample exceeded maximum contamination.

Application of the Actiphage® Assay to Detect Viable Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Cells in Fresh Sheep and Goat Milk and Previously Frozen Milk and In-Line Milk Filters.

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is a well-known causative agent of paratuberculosis, a chronic infectious granulomatous enteritis of ruminants contributing to significant economic losses worldwide. Current conventional diagnostic tools are far from being sufficient to manage and control this disease. Therefore, increased attention has been paid to alternative approaches including phage-based assays employing lytic bacteriophage D29 to detect MAP cells. The aim of the present study was to assess the applicability and efficiency of the recently developed phage-based kit termed Actiphage® combined with IS900 real-time PCR (qPCR) for rapid detection and quantification of viable MAP in milk samples. We demonstrated that Actiphage® in combination with IS900 qPCR allows for rapid and sensitive detection and identification of viable MAP in milk samples with a limit of detection of 1 MAP per 50 ml milk. Using this method, the presence of viable MAP cells was successfully determined in 30.77% of fresh goat, sheep and cow milk samples originating from paratuberculosis-affected herds. We further used Actiphage assay to define the time-lapse aspect of testing naturally contaminated milk and milk filters frozen for various lengths of time by phage-based techniques. Viable MAP was detected in 13.04% of frozen milk samples and 28.57% of frozen milk filters using Actiphage-qPCR. The results suggest the ability to detect viable MAP in these samples following freezing for more than 1 year. The obtained results support the views of the beneficial role of this technology in the control or monitoring of paratuberculosis.

​Effects of Addition of Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) Pulp on the Physico-chemical and Sensory Properties of Burfi and its Cost Structure

Background: During present investigation burfi was prepared from different combinations of cow milk khoa and pumpkin pulp [viz., 100:00 (T1), 75:25 (T2), 70:30 (T3), 65:35 (T4) and 60:40 (T5)] and the samples were subjected to sensory evaluation, chemical analysis and cost was computed considering the ingredients and processing costs. The pumpkin pulp (as per treatments) and sugar (30% by weight of khoa) were mixed with khoa at different stage of khoa preparation. Then, the mixture was heated till burfi was obtained. Methods: For preparation of burfi fresh cow milk was obtained from Livestock Instructional Farm, Akola. The milk was standardized to 4.0 per cent fat and 9.0 per cent SNF for the preparation of burfi. The khoa blended with pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) pulp at different ratios, the product without using pumpkin pulp served as control. The burfi was analyzed for chemical composition (viz., fat protein, total sugars, ash and total solids). The organoleptic attributes of burfi were analyzed in terms of its flavor, body and texture and color and appearance, wherein the total score was out of 100; the judging panel comprised on 5 members. Result: The total sensory scores of burfi obtained were 87.81, 90.46, 95.46, 92.99 and 84.30 for the treatment T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. The burfi prepared from various combinations involving use of up to 70 per cent cow milk khoa in blend with pumpkin pulp was found acceptable. The fat content of burfi’s was 19.61, 15.40, 14.38, 13.40 and 12.37 per cent, protein content was 14.89, 12.64, 12.11, 11.61 and 11.04 per cent, total sugar content was 32.78, 36.73, 37.59, 38.45 and 39.31 per cent, ash content was 2.69, 2.55, 2.53, 2.49 and 2.45 per cent, total solids content was 69.94, 67.30, 66.60, 65.94 and 65.17 per cent for the treatment T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. The fat, protein, ash and total solids of burfi tended to decrease while total sugar and moisture content tended to increase with an increase in the level of pumpkin pulp used as additive. The per kg cost of production of pumpkin based burfi decreased with increasing level of incorporation of pumpkin pulp in burfi formulation i.e. ₹ 240 (100:00 khoa), ₹ 204.51 (75:25, khoa: pulp), ₹ 199.11 (70:30 khoa: pulp), ₹ 194.33 (65:35 khoa: pulp), ₹ 189.25 (60:40, khoa : pulp) for the treatment T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. The most acceptable burfi i.e. T3 was computed to be priced at ₹ 199.11 per kg.

Parasitological and Fungal Assessment of Fresh Cow Milk Obtained from Five Herds in Karshi, F.C.T. Nigeria

Milk is a highly nutritious food that can be obtained from a variety of animal sources and is used for human consumption. Raw milk is generally considered an ideal growth medium for microorganisms, since it provides ideal conditions and nutrients for their growth. This study was aimed at assessing fungi and parasites present in fresh cow milk. 50 samples of fresh cow milk were collected randomly from five herds and subjected to parasitological and fungal assessment. 2 ml of each the milk samples was subjected to centrifugation, decanted and stained with Lugol’s iodine to view for parasites. 2ml of each sample was spread over the surface of Potato Dextrose Agar to encourage the growth of fungi. Aspergillus spp., Mucor spp., and Rhizopus spp. were the fungi found. The number of fugal colonies was 126, 23, 7 and 19 for yeasts, Rhizopus spp., Aspergillus spp. and Mucor spp. and respectively. Cryptosporidium spp. and Toxoplasma spp. were the parasites found. The high amount of microorganisms emphasizes the need for pasteurization and sterilization.

Animal Source Food Social and Behavior Change Communication Intervention Among Girinka Livestock Transfer Beneficiaries in Rwanda: A Cluster Randomized Evaluation.

Animal source foods (ASFs), including cow's milk, contain essential nutrients and contribute to a healthy diet, but frequency of intake is low among children in low- and middle-income countries. We hypothesized that an ASF social and behavior change communication (SBCC) intervention implemented by community health workers (CHWs) would increase child milk consumption and dietary diversity in households that received a cow from the Government of Rwanda's Girinka livestock transfer program. We tested the 9-month SBCC intervention among children aged 12-29 months at baseline in administrative cells randomly assigned to the intervention or control. Most mothers in the intervention group were exposed to CHWs' home visits (90.7%) or community-level activities (82.8%). At endline, more mothers in the intervention group compared with the control group knew that cow's milk was an ASF (90.1% vs. 81.7%, P=.03) and could be introduced to children at 12 months (41.7% vs. 18.7%, P<.001). More mothers in the intervention group compared with the control group knew they should feed their children ASFs (76.2% vs. 62.1%, P=.01) and give them 1 cup of cow's milk per day (20.6% vs. 7.8%, P<.001). Children's consumption of fresh cow's milk 2 or more times per week increased in the intervention group, although not significantly (8.0 percentage points, P=.17); minimum dietary diversity was unchanged. Children in the intervention group had increased odds of consuming cow's milk 2 or more times per week if their mothers recalled hearing that children should drink 1 cup of cow's milk per day during a CHW's home visit [odds ratio (OR) 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.1, 3.9)] or a community activity [OR 2.0, 95% CI (1.2, 3.5)]. Approximately half of the children had no milk during the past week because their households produced too little or sold what was produced. In poor households receiving a livestock transfer, strategies to further tailor SBCC and increase cow's milk production may be needed to achieve larger increases in children's frequency of milk consumption.

Evaluation of models for predicting the preweaning body weight in Holstein calves

This study compared six non-linear equations [Exponential growth (4 parameters), Exponential growth (Stirling), Polynomial (Cubic), Quadratic, Brody, and Sinusoidal] for prediction of pre-weaning body weights at different ages in Holstein calves. Thirty-two calves (16 males and 16 females) were randomly divided into two treatment groups and fed with starter diets containing either corn or barley as the grain source. Starter feeding began on the third day of life, and high quality alfalfa hay and fresh cow milk were fed according to the farm schedule. The calves were weighed at birth and weekly thereafter until weaning. In this manner, ten weight records, including the birth and weaning weights, constituted the data set. The results of experiment revealed the fact that all functions mentioned earlier showed good fitness to predict weight gain in relation to age in all groups of calves. However, based on the goodness of the fit of various criteria and the statistical performance, the polynomial (cubic) function was considerably superior to other functions for predicting the calf live weight. The flexible growth functions (more parameters) very often give a closer fit to data points and a smaller residual sum of square (RSS) value than the simpler functions such as the Brody functions.

تطوير صناعة الأجبان الطرية المدعمة بالأعشاب الطبية كغداء وظيفي

Herbs and spices have long been used to support various food products, including dairy products because of their flavoring, taste, texture and general appearance as well as therapeutic properties such as antioxidant activities, infections, microbes, anti-diabetes and hypertension. Therefore, this study aimed to demonstrate the effect of adding ginger, cinnamon, lycopene extract and olive oil on the physiochemical properties, the quality of the soft cheese produced and the extent of its acceptance by the Iraqi consumer, who prefers this product in abundance to other types of cheese. So, this study was prepared with ten liters of fresh cow's milk used in the manufacture of soft cheese by the dairy factory/ Abu Ghraib/ Baghdad. Standard soft cheese was processed by filtering raw milk first, heating, cooling, adding rennet, incubating, cutting, drainage the whey, salting and supplementing with different addition. Five treatments of soft cheese were made by regular method and supplemented as follows: The control treatment is to make white soft cheese without adding anything other than the basic ingredients for making soft cheese. While adding 2.5% of each of the ginger, cinnamon, lycopene and olive oil for each of the second, third, fourth and fifth treatment, to the curd of milk and supplement its manufacture from squeezing and preserving it until the necessary analyzes were done. The results of the study showed a clear and significant variance (P&lt;0.05) of the percentage of fats, total solids, ash contents and calibrated acidity as the storage period of the soft cheese product increased to 21 days. The results of the statistical analysis also showed that ginger, cinnamon, lycopene and olive oil with certain concentrations had a positive effect (p&lt;0.05) on the physiochemical composition of cheese and on all sensory properties. It was founded that supported cheese with cinnamon had the highest concentration in phenol contents follow: cinnamon cheese&gt; lycopene cheese&gt; olive oil&gt; ginger cheese&gt; control cheese which was 643, 564, 497, 424 and 213 mg\ kg respectively. Also, It was found that lycopene cheese appeared highest scavenging activity for free radical produced from DPPH followed by Lycopene cheese, Olive oil cheese, Ginger cheese and Cinnamon cheese were 96, 94, 91 and 88% respectively. Consequently, the study concluded the importance of producing milk products fortified with medicinal plants and spices and their availability to many consumers who want to consume these fortified products to improve and preserve their health.

Application of Plantaricin as an Antimicrobial Substrate in the Milking Process to Maintain Milk Quality in Smallholder Dairy Farm

Pathogenic bacterial contamination found in fresh cow's milk can be caused by poor milking management. This traditional milking process allows the milk to be contaminated from bacteria and dirt. Dyeing dairy cows using a commercial antiseptic is a common measure that can be done to prevent mastitis. Nipple immersion can be done after milking using synthetic antiseptic agents such as povidone iodine and chlorine. However, the use of synthetic antiseptics can actually cause a slight irritation and allergic effect and leave a residue. Therefore, it is hoped that the use of natural-based antiseptics can replace synthetic antiseptics. One of the natural based antiseptics that can be used is bacteriocin. This research aimed to analyze the application of the plantaricin IIA-1A5 as a substitute for synthetic antibacterial for teat dipping before milking namely microbiological tests, physicochemical tests, and pH measurements. The study was conducted using a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications. The treatment design consisted of control (without immersion), plantaricin 0.0074%, and povidone iodine 0.2%. Results showed application of plantaricin IIA-1A5 as teat dipping before milking can reduce the Total Plate Count, &lt;em&gt;Escherichia coli&lt;/em&gt;, and &lt;em&gt;Staphylococcus aureus&lt;/em&gt; population. The use of plantaricin IIA-1A5 as teat dipping did not change pH value and physicochemical quality (fat, SNF, lactose, and protein), which is below the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) about fresh milk. This ability is comparable to the iodine group, a synthetic antibacterial widely used by smallholder breeders in Indonesia. It is concluded that plantaricin IIA-1A5 can be used as a substitute for synthetic antibacterial (iodine group) for teat dipping before milking.

IMPLEMENTATION OF MORPHOLOGICAL OPERATION AND BLOB ANALYSIS IN COW’S MILK SOMATIC CELL CALCULATION

The Indonesian National Standards have established quality standards for fresh cow's milk. One of them is the somatic cell content with a maximum value of 4x105sel/ml. Generally, the content of somatic cells in each milk sample can be calculated manually with the help of a microscope or using a tool called Fossomatic. However, this tool is expensive. The research was conducted using an image processing science approach to detect and calculate the amount of somatic cell content in cow's milk. The operations performed are erosion, dilation, color channel conversion, and labeling. The results showed that the system's accuracy in counting somatic cells reached 85%. From this research, it is expected to be able to count somatic cells with the help of a computer without having to count manually or using a Fossomatic tool.

English

In Nigeria, dairy industry holds monumental prospects in the management of protein deficiencies among the timid Nigerian populace. Emergence of metabolic products of some important fungi, Aflatoxins B1 and M1 (AFB1 and AFM1), may hamper such potentials and poses public health threat to the consumers of dairy products. Hence, the need to undertake a study with the view of evaluating AFB1 and AFM1 levels in dairy cattle production. A total of 180 samples, each of cattle feed and cow milk were analyzed using Cobra cell incorporated High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technique. Significant number of feed (89%) and milk (94%) turned out positive for AFB1 and AFM1, respectively. Factors of production such as the holding-capacity (size) of the dairy herds, type of dairy herds and the type of dairy cattle feed were used to evaluate and determine the occurrence of the toxins. Results showed that most of these factors affect the distribution of the toxins significantly (P&lt;0.05). Traditional dairy herds, which constitute the greatest part of the small-holder dairy herds, showed the largest significant number of farms (P&lt;0.05) with detectable levels of AFB1 and AFM1 above the acceptable concentration limits in fresh cow milk. It is recommended that critical factors of dairy production be given thorough regulatory considerations as they were observed to play significant role in the occurrence of aflatoxins in dairy products. Also, the management of the traditional dairy herds should be properly guided by the relevant legislation as it constitutes greater part of the dairy production in Nigeria. Key words: Dairy production, Aflatoxin B1, Aflatoxin M1, feed, cow milk, Northern Nigeria.

PREPARATION OF WATER RESISTANT GLUE FROM MILK PLASTIC

In this process of extracting Milk Plastic Water Resistant Glue from the casein 3 type of milk soya milk, fresh cow milk and the pastured milk were used. Casein was extracted and vinegar was added while milk was getting heated. Casein was separated, and dried for 2-3 days. Milk Plastic that was obtained was heated with distilled water. A pinch of papain is added and made it hot for 4 hours and then 1N of NaOH is added and heated for few minutes. The collected sample is centrifuged at 12000 rpm and the glue was obtained. The glue is stored at -200C. 2 card board pieces was stacked together by using this glue and dipped in water to check the water resistance. It was stable for about 10 minutes and then it was loosened. It is little expensive comparing to other glues when it was did with pure milk while if it is done with waste milk product its cost will be low.

Single-dose oral challenges to validate eliciting doses in children with cow's milk allergy.

There is increasing interest in the use of eliciting doses (EDs) to inform allergen risk management. The ED can be estimated from the distribution of threshold doses for allergic subjects undergoing food challenges within a specified population. Estimated ED05 values for cow's milk (the dose expected to cause objective allergic symptoms in 5% of the milk-allergic population) range from 0.5mg to 13.9mg cow's milk protein. We undertook a single-dose challenge study to validate a predicted ED05 for cow's milk of 0.5mg protein. Participants were recruited from 4 clinical centres. Predetermined criteria were used to identify patients reacting to 0.5mg cow's milk protein (approximately 0.015mL of fresh cow's milk). Children over 1year underwent formal challenge to cow's milk to confirm clinical reactivity. 172 children (median age 6.0 (IQR 0.7-11) years, 57% male) were included in this analysis. Twelve (7.0%, 95% CI 3.7%-11.9%) children experienced objective symptoms that met the predetermined criteria. One participant had mild anaphylaxis that responded to a single dose of adrenaline, the remainder experienced only mild symptoms with no treatment required. We did not identify any baseline predictors of sensitization that were associated with objective reactivity to the single-dose challenge using 0.5mg cow's milk protein. These data support an estimated ED05 for cow's milk of 0.5mg protein. Values for ED05 above 0.5mg for cow's milk protein proposed for allergen risk management need to be reviewed.

English

Milk adulteration is a common phenomenon in many countries, which draws extensive attention from humans due to health hazards that might result in some fatal diseases. In this study, a portable near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer combined with multivariate analysis was used to detect and quantify milk adulteration. Fresh cow milk samples were collected from eight dairy farms in Beijing and Hebei province of China. Water, urea, starch and goat milk were used to adulterate milk at 11 different concentrations. The data driven soft independent modeling of class analogy (DD-SIMCA) method was employed for qualitative analysis. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was applied for statistical analysis of the obtained NIR spectral data. The results showed that the DD-SIMCA approach achieved satisfactory classification. By the PLSR model, standard error of prediction (SEP) values of 4.35, 0.34, 4.74 and 5.56 g/L were obtained for water, urea, starch and goat milk, respectively. These results demonstrated the feasibility and reliability of NIR spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis in the prediction of the total contents of the investigated adulterants in cow milk. Key words: Portable near-infrared (NIR)-spectroscopy, milk adulteration, DD-SIMCA, Partial least squares (PLS) regression.

Effect of Milk and Hydro-priming on Seed Germination Characteristics of Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.)

To meet the demand for an appropriate soaking duration and priming type, there is a need to embrace cheap, fast, natural, accessible, and adaptable physiological techniques as soaking of seeds in water and fresh cow milk. Fresh cow milk contains hormones that relieve seeds from photo, thermo, physiological and mechanical dormancy. In light of this, this study was conducted to assess the effect of hydration and fresh cow milk on different seed quality attributes like germination percentage, mean germination time, the uncertainty of germination process, and synchrony of germination process of bitter gourd seeds. The study involved two factors namely hydropriming and different concentrations of fresh cow milk (viz. 60%, 80% and 100%), and the other factor was seed soaking duration with 4 levels (i. e., 0, 12, 18 and 24 hours). The experiment was conducted in a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with three replicates. Results revealed that the percentage germination value of seeds soaked in all concentrations of fresh cow milk was better than hydropriming. A significant germination percentage value of 96% and 93% were recorded for seeds treated for 18 hours in 80% and 100% concentrations of fresh cow milk respectively. Maximum uncertainty of the germination process and minimum synchrony of germination the process was recorded in untreated seed.

Impact of Aloe Vera gel aqueous extract-supplemented yogurt on reproductive performance of male rats

Aloe Vera (AV) is a medicinal plant used for the treatment of various health problems thousands of years ago. Recently, AV is considered as a functional raw material in the food technology of dairy products. The current study aims to investigate the effect of AV extract and/or yogurt consumption on male reproduction represented by gonadosomatic index (GSI), sperm quality, testosterone levels and testicular histology. The yogurt was prepared using fresh cow's milk and starter cultures. AV yogurt was prepared to contain AV (10 or 20 %). Twelve groups of rats orally fed with distilled water or AV extract and/or yogurt for 7 and 14 days. After 7 days of feeding, GSI decreased after feeding AV extract and recovered after 14 days. However, after 7 days, sperm concentration increased in rats received AV extract 10% and declined significantly after administration of AV extract and yogurt mixture but this decline recovered after 14 days. Rats received yogurt alone showed significant decrease of sperm motility percent as well as disturbance of sperm morphology represented by high abnormal sperm percent. On the other side, level of testosterone is declined significantly in all 7 days-treated groups and recovered after 14 days except in rats received AV extract 20% and yogurt mixture. Further, histological examination of the testes showed deleterious changes in normal testicular architecture after 7 days administration with partial recovery after 14 days. Therefore, it can be concluded that the AV extract and/or yogurt has dose- and time- dependent effect on male reproductive performance.

Effect of starter culture fermentation of milk on the production, sensory attributes and storage of Wara (a Nigerian unripened soft cheese)

This study investigated the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus isolated from wara, a Nigerian unripened soft cheese, on the production of starter-mediated type with improved quality and longer shelf-life. Fresh cow milk was pasteurized and inoculated with standardized cells of Lactobacillus plantarum and o Lactobacillus acidophilus (singly and in combination) and incubated at 30 C for 24 h to ferment. The fermented (acidified) milk was then used to produce wara using juice extract of Calotropis procera as rennet. Viable cell counts and physicochemical properties were estimated in the fermenting milk, while organoleptic attributes of traditional and starter-mediated wara were determined following standard procedures. The wara samples were stored at 30±2 °C for 6 days during which samples were obtained daily for physicochemical and microbiological analysis. Overall, physicochemical analysis of the fermenting milk samples showed a gradual drop in pH, increase in total titratable acidity and diacetyl level with accompanied increase in viable count. Organoleptically, there was no significant difference (p&gt; 0.05) between the traditional and some of the starter-mediated wara. During storage, the starter mediated wara had the lowest bacteria count and extended shelf-life.&#x0D; Keywords: Wara, Starter culture, Shelf life, Sensory attributes, Fermentation.