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Crop storage losses in southern Nigeria caused by the activities of micro-organisms

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Summary

In the southern part of Nigeria, maize, cassava, and yam are the major food crops grown, and they constitute an important source of carbohydrate in the diet of the inhabitants of the area. There are various traditional methods for storage of these crops and all have been shown to lead to storage losses both quantitatively and qualitatively. Micro-organism, especially the fungi, are important as agents of deterioration and spoilage of these crops during storage. Factors that influence the infestation and growth of micro-organisms in these crops during storage are many with moisture being especially significant. To aid in their preservation, cassava and yams are usually processed into more shelf-stable products such as garri and fufu from cassava as well as yam chips and fluor from yam. All these processed products, in spite of their relatively shelf-stable nature, are still subject to microbial infection if improperly handled and stored. It is concluded that much work needs to be done in Nigeria to improve storage conditions.

Résumé

Dans le Sud du Nigéria, le maïs, le manioc et la patate douce sont les récoltes alimentaires majeures, et celles-ci constituent une source importante d'hydrates de carbone dans l'alimentation des habitants locaux. Il y a plusieurs méthodes traditionnelles pour le stockage de ces récoltes et toutes ont révélé conduire à des pertes tant quantitatives que qualitatives par stockage. Les microorganismes, particulièrement les moisissures, sont d'importants agents de détérioration et d'avarie de ces récoltes pendant le stockage. De nombreux facteurs influencent l'infection par et la croissance des microorganismes dans ces récoltes durant le stockage, particulièrement l'humidité. Pour améliorer leur conservation, le manioc et la patate douce sont en général transformées en produits stables à conserver en rayonnage comme le ‘garri’ et le ‘fufu’ de manioc ou encore les chips et la farine de patate douce. Tous ces produits transformés, malgré leur aptitude à la conservation en rayannage, sont néanmoins sujets à l'infection microbienne lorsqu'ils sont manipulés et conservés de manière impropre. Il faut en conclure que beaucoup de travail reste à faire au Nigéria pour améliorer les conditions de stockage.

El maíz, la mandioca y el ñame son los cultivos, destinados a la alimentación, más importantes del sur de Nigeria, constituyendo la principal fuente de carbohidratos para los habitantes del area. Todos los métodos de almacenamiento tradicionales de estos cultivos producen perdidas tanto cuantitativas como cualitativas. Los microorganismos, especialmente los hongos, son agentes importantes de este deterioro. Son muchos los factores que influyen en la infestación y crecimiento de los microorganismos durante el almacenamiento de dichas cosechas, siendo la húmedad especialmente importante. Para mejorar su conservación la mandioca y el ñame se transforman en productos más estables tales como fufu y garri en el caso de la mandioca, y harina y rodajas cocinadas (‘chips’) en del ñame. Todos estos productos transformados, a pesar de su naturaleza relativamente estable, están todavía sujetos a infección microbiana si se manipulan o almacenan de forma inadecuada. Se concluye que restan por hacer muchos trabajos para poder mejorar las condiciones de almacenamiento en Nigeria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Anambra State University of Technology, P.M.B. 01660, Enugu, Anambra State, Nigeria

    G. U. Okereke

  2. Department of Applied Microbiology, Anambra State University of Technology, P.M.B. 01660, Enugu, Anambra State, Nigeria

    V. C. Nwosu

Authors
  1. G. U. Okereke
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  2. V. C. Nwosu
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Okereke, G.U., Nwosu, V.C. Crop storage losses in southern Nigeria caused by the activities of micro-organisms. Mircen Journal 3, 201–210 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00933573

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00933573

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