Animal Research International

1619 – 1624

Authors: NWAMBA, Helen Ogochukwu

Twenty-one (21) specimens of Oreochromis niloticus (total weight 400g) were collected from a market in Enugu metropolis and used to assess the effects of different preservation methods on proximate composition. The fish samples were stored for 28 days. Preservation and processing methods adopted were: refrigeration, deep-freezing, oven-drying, straight-smoking, and salted smoking. The oven-dried, straight-smoked, and salted-smoked samples were stored in polythene bags at room temperature in the laboratory. Moisture, protein, fat, fiber, and ash contents of all the samples were determined according to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists procedures. Free preservation on storage led to a significant decrease (P<0.05) in the percentage of ash, crude protein, and fat contents of fish samples. The greatest reduction was observed in refrigerated samples while salted-smoked samples were the least affected. There was a significant difference (P<0.05) between the storage period and the free-fatty acid of the samples. The refrigerated samples showed the highest levels of rancidity while the salted-smoked method gave the highest level of stabilizing in the proximate composition on storage for 28 days.

1632 – 1637

Authors: NWAMBA, Helen Ogochukwu

Some chemical parameters of a rock water-productive pond were determined. Chicken droppings were applied at the rate of 1.5kg per day to a pond with a mean surface area of 300m2. The experimental period lasted for 10 months, with the first five months as the unfertilized period and the remaining five months as the fertilized period. All water quality parameters were studied titrimetrically and triplicated for accuracy and precision. There was no significant variation (P>0.05) in the conductivity (ionic content) of the pond water whether fertilized or unfertilized. The increase in the mean values of free carbon dioxide during the fertilized period was attributed to an increased rate of decomposition of organic matter and a concomitant release of carbon dioxide. Both phosphate-phosphorus (P04-P) and nitrate-nitrogen (N03-N) were significantly different (P<0.05) when the pond was fertilized. This was attributed to the availability of nitrogen and phosphorus as part of the constituents of chicken droppings. From this study, it was observed that the use of fertilizer had favourable effect on the chemical parameters of the pond.

1645 – 1653

Authors: GABRIEL, Ugwemorubong Ujagwung, EDORI, Onisogen Simeon and OGBU, Magnus Ogochukwu

The effect of toluene on enzymes; Aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the plasma, organs (gills, kidney, liver), and muscle of Clarias gariepinus was assessed. The activity of AST in the gill was variable among the treated group and between the treated groups and the control with an increase in all the concentrations (129.4 – 976%) above the value of the control (42.50 ± 28.72 IU/L). The activity of ALT in the gill was gradually raised from 50 ppm to a peak (187.50%) at 125 ppm. Although the ALP had the highest activity in the gill in comparison to other enzymes it was variable with inhibitions. Toluene caused excitation at 75 and 125 ppm were more than thrice and twice respectively than at the control in the kidney. It caused an increase in the activity of ALT with more than 6x (25 ppm), 9x (75 ppm), and 15x (125 ppm) that of the control. However, the activity of ALP in the kidney was generally unaffected by the exposure at the other concentrations. There was general excitation of AST activity in the liver with higher levels of excitation, 25 – 40% at 25, 75 and 125 ppm. A raise in ALT activity was recorded in all the exposure. A concentration-dependent increase was observed in activity of ALP in the liver 299, 479 and 596% above the control value, 46.00 ± 34.84 IU/L. There was both excitation inhibition of AST activity in the muscle tissue of the fish. There was a sharp decline of 69 and 55% at 50 and 100 ppm in ALT activity and enhanced activity of 321, 179, and 227% at 25, 75 and 125 ppm, respectively above the control value. ALP activity was excited in the muscle in all the test concentrations (maximum, 90% at 25 ppm). There was a sharp decline in the activity of AST in the plasma with the least value at 75ppm, 64% lower than the control value. All concentrations of toluene elicited the activity of ALT in the plasma. The increase was 3.5x, 2.5x, 4.5x, 2.25x, and 5x at the exposure concentrations (25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 ppm) respectively, relative to the control values. The relative activity of AST in the organs generally followed the pattern: muscle > liver > gill > kidney> plasma and that of ALT activity, muscle > kidney > liver > gill > plasma, and ALP was kidney > muscle > liver > gill > plasma.