Sodiya, E. F., Oshinuga et al. (4 contributing authors)
This research investigated heavy metals contaminants in Mountain Top University (MTU) Lake. The use of the lake for several agricultural purposes particularly fishing necessitated this project as most people in the community patronize the bay for food. It is expected that the contents of the lake will invariably make up the water animals therein. This report examines the physicochemical quality of the Lake. Lammottee spectrophotometer was used to determine the array of metals present in the body of water. The result from the physicochemical analysis reveals the presence of Chromium (Cr) 4.31 ppm, Lead (Pb) 0.04 ppm, Iron (Fe) 0.49 ppm, Copper (Cu) 0.12 ppm, and Manganese (Mn) 0.03 ppm. Out of these five heavy metals analysed, Only Copper and Manganese were below acceptable consumable levels, Iron, Lead and Chromium were above with Chromium at exceeding concentration. This indicated substantial deviation from the recommended or regulatory limit. The high concentration of chromium in particular in the body of the water rendered the lake unfit for agricultural purposes. Chromated water is toxic to the health of living organisms with minimal benefits.
Cocos nucifera (coconut) husk fiber is the dry and fibrous external material that is processed typically to obtain the solid albumen and endosperm (coconut-water). It has been reported previously that the husks of the coconut palm are discarded massively as waste and considered as a major agro-waste of tropical countries. In this study, we investigated and compared the antioxidant activities of the n-hexane and acetone-water extracts of varieties of Cocos nucifera husk fibre - wild mature (WM), dwarf (DWF), young (YNG), and hybrid (HYB). The antioxidant activities of extracts were evaluated using a range of in vitro free radical scavenging assay models, total antioxidant capacity, and reductive ability. The results obtained were statistically analysed at a significance level of p < 0.05. The highest values for the total flavonoid content, total phenolic content, and total antioxidant capacity for the n-hexane extract was obtained from the wild mature husk fibres while the lowest was from dwarf species. The acetone-water extracts of the young husk exhibited the highest values for the total flavonoid, phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity while the hybrid species showed the lowest. At varying concentrations, the coconut varieties and extracts displayed different 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals scavenging activities. All varieties displayed reducing potential, although with varying efficacy. Also, it was observed that the IC50 for the nitric oxide free radical scavenging activity of the n-hexane extracts and acetone-water extract were similar in the order of HYB > DWF > WM > YNG.
Cocos nuciferahusk fiberantioxidantfree radicalsInhibition Concentration at 50% (Ic50)
Costus spicatus, an herbaceous plant, parts- leaves, rhizome, stem and root are used locally because of its medicinal properties. This study was carried out to compare the phyto- constituents of the Costus spicatus leaf and rhizome. The secondary metabolites of Costus spicatusleaf and rhizomewere determined qualitatively via standard phytochemicalscreening methods.Thechemicalcompositions of the aqueousextract ofCostusspicatusleaf and rhizome were analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and UV-Visible Spectrophotometer. The qualitative phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of Carbohydrate, Alkaloids, Saponins, Terpenoids, Phenols and Protein were detected in the aqueous rhizome extract while Carbohydrate, Alkaloids, Flavonoids and Proteins were detected in the leaf extract. The UV-yis scan of the aqueous rhizome and leaf extracts revealed the varying absorbance of the leaf and rhizome extract at different wavelengths and the spectrum shows the highest peaks at 200-214 nm and 220-227 nm respectively indicating the presence of organic chromophores. The GC-MS analysis of aqueous extract of Costus spicatus rhizome revealed the presence of Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (11.34%) and 10,13-Octadecadienoic acid, methylester (10.22%) for the leaf extract as the compound with the highest peaks. These results reveal that the rhizome extract contains more active organic compounds and therefore can be further explored in phytomedicinal researches.
