Ochratoxin Assay, Proximate and Mineral Composition of Commercially Packaged Fruit Juices Sold in Owerri, IMO State, Nigeria.
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Global Research
Abstract
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The ochratoxin presence, proximate and mineral composition of 21 packaged single and multiple fruit juices sold in Owerri
metropolis, Nigeria were assessed. The ochratoxin assay was carried out using an ochracard test kit. Results from the analysis
showed that the moisture content of the juices ranged from 85.04 to 90.16%, ash content from 0.01 to 0.24%, the carbohydrate
content from 9.80 to 14.4%, the pH values ranged from 2.95 to 3.77, the protein content from 0.32 to 1.48%, vitamin C from 4.90 to
36.00mg/100ml, the vitamin A from traces to 0.12 mg/100ml. Fibre and fat contents were in trace amounts. The mineral contents
ranged from 65 to 234 mg/l for iron, 20 to 180 mg/l for calcium, 30 to 171 mg/l for sodium, 18 to 255 mg/l for potassium and 12 to
201 mg/l for magnesium. Nine (9) out of the 21 samples were positive for ochratoxin and the contamination rate was 42.9% for the
fruit juices. The proximate and mineral content analyses were done using using standard chemical methods. The analysis of variance
(ANOVA) test was employed to test the equality of the different fruit juices in terms of different mineral and proximate contents
assayed in the samples.
Keywords
QH301 Biology, QR Microbiology