Papers by Francis Ayimbila
European Journal of Experimental Biology, 2013
Deger", a fermented milk product is gaining popularity among consumers in Tamale Metropolis and o... more Deger", a fermented milk product is gaining popularity among consumers in Tamale Metropolis and other cities in Ghana. Among the many advantages of fermented foods, the probiotic activity of the fermenting microorganisms cannot be overemphasized. This work assessed the probiotic potential of deger using lactic acid bacteria (LAB), major probiotic organisms as the indicator. The viable LAB counts of samples purchased from nine different sources in Tamale were enumerated by serial dilution and pour-plating in selective media, MRS-S. There was significant difference (p<0.05) in mean LAB count of the deger samples from different sources with sources B, E and F recording the highest mean LAB counts of 2.86±0.03×10 8 , 2.53±0.11×10 8 and 2.95±0.04×10 8 cfu/ml respectively whilst source G recorded the least significant counts of 1.15±0.05×10 8 cfu/ml. Because there is spontaneous fermentation in deger production, twenty isolates were randomly selected from the samples and identified by standard morphological, physiological and biochemical methods. The isolates were identified as Lactobacillus delbrueckii (30%), Lactobacillus casei (25%), Lactobacillus leichmannii (25%) Lactobacillus acidophilus (15%) and Lactobacillus fermentum (5%). It is concluded that deger consume in Tamale is a promising probiotic food. This is in view of fact that the minimum serving size of 150 ml from the source with the least mean LAB counts of 1.15±0.05×10 8 cfu/ml contained 1.731.15×10 10 viable cells, and that some strains of LAB isolated from deger namely L. delbrueckii, L. acidophilus L casei and L. fermentum have documented probiotic activities.
Current Nutrition Reports
Purpose of Review Global concerns about population growth, economic, and nutritional transitions ... more Purpose of Review Global concerns about population growth, economic, and nutritional transitions and health have led to the search for a low-cost protein alternative to animal origins. This review provides an overview of the viability of exploring mushroom protein as a future protein alternative considering the nutritional value, quality, digestibility, and biological benefits. Recent Findings Plant proteins are commonly used as alternatives to animal proteins, but the majority of them are low in quality due to a lack of one or more essential amino acids. Edible mushroom proteins usually have a complete essential amino acid profile, meet dietary requirements, and provide economic advantages over animal and plant sources. Mushroom proteins may provide health advantages by eliciting antioxidant, antitumor, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), inhibitory and antimicrobial properties over animal proteins. Protein concentrates, hydrolysates, and peptides from mushrooms are being used to improve human health. Also, edible mushrooms can be used to fortify traditional food to increase protein value and functional qualities. These characteristics highlight mushroom proteins as inexpensive, high-quality proteins that can be used as a meat alternative, as pharmaceuticals, and as treatments to alleviate malnutrition. Summary Edible mushroom proteins are high in quality, low in cost, widely available, and meet environmental and social requirements, making them suitable as sustainable alternative proteins.
Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology
Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering
Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 2019
Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 2019
This study examined the inclusion of African American/Black and White men’s endorsement of tradit... more This study examined the inclusion of African American/Black and White men’s endorsement of traditional masculinity ideology into health promotion models addressing behaviors of physical activity, stress management, and health responsibility. Participants’ endorsement of traditional masculinity ideology had significant indirect, but not direct, effects on the performance of the three health behaviors. Self-efficacy, and to a lesser extent, outcome expectations, mediated the effect of the endorsement of traditional masculinity ideology on the health behaviors. Multigroup analysis was used to compare the fit of the models for White (n = 194) and African American/Black (n = 158) men. The physical activity model was not invariant for White and African American/Black men. Relationships between self-efficacy and outcome expectations and health behaviors were significant for both groups, but were stronger for White men. There was a significant indirect effect between endorsement of traditional masculinity and physical activity behaviors via outcome expectations (perceived barriers and benefits) for Black/African American men, but not for White men. We discuss implications of the findings for addressing self-efficacies, outcome expectations, and the positive elements of traditional masculinity ideology as they relate to health behaviors of African American/Black and White men.
Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology
SAGE PublicationsSage CA: Los Angeles, CA, Jul 1, 2021
Scientific Reports, 2022
Humans have long-used mushrooms as food and medicine, but digestion and colonic fermentation of m... more Humans have long-used mushrooms as food and medicine, but digestion and colonic fermentation of most mushrooms, including Lentinus squarrosulus is markedly unknown. Here, nutritional profile, digestion and colonic fermentation of L. squarrosulus powder (LP) were determined. The powder contained mainly carbohydrate and protein. SEM and F-TIR analysis of the resistant hydrolysate (RH) revealed that the structure and ratio of carbohydrate and protein components were altered, and released known immunomodulation agents; beta-glucans and mannose. Both LP and RH promoted selected probiotic bacteria, especially Bifidobacterium strains. Using fecal microbiota of five volunteers (V1, V2, V3, V4 and V5), RH stimulated the microbiota of all used volunteers, via decreasing the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ranging from 1.3 to 8.2 times. Also, RH increased the relative abundance of vital immunomodulators; Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium cluster XIVa and IV, and Sutterella. Additiona...
Amylases are among the most important enzymes with potential applications in the present-day indu... more Amylases are among the most important enzymes with potential applications in the present-day industry. Thus, isolating pure culture from cassava as the cheap source has manifold importance for food industries. In the present study, eleven amylase producing fungal strains were isolated from cassava flour and growth pattern, as well as optimum growth condition, was determined. All isolates showed amylases activity but isolate BR005, BR001 and GR003 recorded maximum clear zone diameters of 54.75 ± 0.957 mm, 53.25 ±0.645 mm 51.5 ± 1.414 mm, respectively. The submerged fermentation method was employed for crude amy lase and biomass production. There were significant differences (p˂0.05) in starch concentrations and growth rates between the three isolates. GR003 and BR005 attained their optimal amylase activities of 4.23±0.25 U/mL and 3.75±3.16 U/mL at 50 C, respectively, whiles BR001 attained its optimum amylase activity of 3.43±0.77 at 60 C. Whereas, B R 005, BR001 and GR003 attained th...
Bioactive Carbohydrates and Dietary Fibre
Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Food Sciences
Bioactive Carbohydrates and Dietary Fibre
Uploads
Papers by Francis Ayimbila