MUNIR ABBA DANDAGO | Kano University of Science and Technology Wudil (original) (raw)

Papers by MUNIR ABBA DANDAGO

Biochemistry, Jun 12, 2024

Dutse Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, Apr 24, 2024

Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology

Perishable fresh vegetables that do not meet cosmetic standards and other crop waste rich resourc... more Perishable fresh vegetables that do not meet cosmetic standards and other crop waste rich resources are presently wasted. Mangifera indica leaves, Psidium guajava leaves, Petroselinum crispum leaves and Daucus carota were selected as model vegetables to show that they can be converted into a shelf-stable novel functional powdered product. A novel functional product from a blend of these powdered vegetables (FPPV) was formulated. To evaluate the shelf-life of FPPV. The novel functional product from a blend of powdered vegetables (FPPV) was prepared in the Food Science and Nutrition laboratory, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences, India. The samples were subjected to accelerated stability study maintaining temperature and relative humidity 40°C ± 2°C and 75% ± 5% respectively. Organoleptic, physico‑chemical and microbiological properties of FPPV was analyzed at an interval of 0, 1, 3 and 6 months to check the degradation levels in the formulation. Organo...

Turkish Journal of Food and Agriculture Sciences

Agricultural soil is contaminated with dangerous heavy metals (HMs) from anthropogenic activities... more Agricultural soil is contaminated with dangerous heavy metals (HMs) from anthropogenic activities and natural processes. These HMs are passed to humans through the consumption of crops produced in the contaminated soil. Crop production in a contaminated field and irrigation with raw untreated sewage and industrial effluents exposed food crops to HMs contaminations. Consumption of foods contaminated with HMs can be dangerous due to their persistent nature and tendency to accumulate in human tissues. HMs contamination in humans can lead to serious health problems and, in severe cases, can cause death. This review article aimed to compile soil treatment methods reported to be effective in reducing HMs uptake by food crops in active agricultural fields, outline research gaps and suggest areas for future research. Soil treatment with biochar is the most effective control method reported, was found to mitigate the uptake of Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, and Cu in different crops. Other control measures...

Apple Academic Press eBooks, Jan 11, 2023

Global Journal of Agricultural Research

Due to fresh water scarcity challenges around the world, high increase in the demand for agricult... more Due to fresh water scarcity challenges around the world, high increase in the demand for agricultural irrigation water from different sources including hydrocarbon contaminated wastewater increases. However, these wastewaters can alter soil physical and chemical properties. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the hydrocarbon contaminated irrigation water on some selected soil physical and chemical properties from three phases of Sharada industrial area, Kano, Nigeria. Soil and water samples were collected from three different phases of the industrial area and analyzed using standard laboratory procedures. The hydrocarbon irrigation water quality analyses indicated that the hydrocarbon concentration in all phases was low and below irrigation reuse standard. However, the major irrigation water quality parameters; chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), hydrogen carbonate (HCO3), ammonium-nitrogen (NH4-N), potassium (K), c...

Dutse Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences

Genetically modified foods (GMFs )), GMOs or engineered foods refer to foods produced from geneti... more Genetically modified foods (GMFs )), GMOs or engineered foods refer to foods produced from genetic ally modified plants or animal s who se DNA have undergone modifications either by an inherent or a foreign DNA (transgenes) for improvement of the targeted o rganism. Genetically modified foods were introduced to Nigeria by National Biotechno logy Development Agency ( to combat food security issues and other agricultural challenges . After the introduction, the Nigerian Government believed that the products can be release d to the m arket. This brought persistent argument s by Nigerians on the perception and acceptance of the GM foods. The basis for the arguments were made on factors such as safety , environmental threat, price , means of colonization, food security, family size, potentiality , awareness of GM foods. These arguments were by individuals and organizations within various areas /fields in Nigeria. The perception led to the division of Nigerians to protagonists and antago...

FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES, 2022

The most concern postharvest safety issue in food grains is aflatoxins production in contaminated... more The most concern postharvest safety issue in food grains is aflatoxins production in contaminated stored grains. Consumption of aflatoxins contaminated grains can lead to complicated health issues that can lead to death. Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites commonly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. They were reported to disturb foetus development, causes changes in living cells, suppresses the immune system and causes many forms of cancers. Aflatoxin B1 was classified under group I carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Aflatoxins contamination affects food security and can hinder international trade due to the strict ban enforce by many nations. Contaminations were reported in raw and processed grains (including ready-to-eat), milk and meat of farm animals and human breastmilk and blood. Major causes of grains aflatoxins contamination are wrong harvesting time and method, improper drying, poor storage and processing and higher moi...

Dutse Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, 2022

Vegetables are one of the classes of foods that importantly contribute to the whole health and we... more Vegetables are one of the classes of foods that importantly contribute to the whole health and wellbeing of its consumers. It benefits the human body with important nutrients and help in reducing kind of chronic diseases. Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are generally becoming more popular even in the developing world due to change in lifestyles. One of the most usually RTE food consumed in the northern Nigeria is road side salad that is arranged with vegetables usually lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) or Cress (Lepidium sativum Linn.) as the main components with the addition of tomato, onion and carrot. However, the consumption of RTE foods promote severe safety threats as vegetables prove well-known trace element and heavy metals (HMs) some of which are essential for good health while some are toxic. HMs include lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), silver (Ag), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and platinum (Pt). Differ...

Agricultural Science and Technology, 2021

Heavy metal (HM) food contamination is detrimental to food safety and human health. Water scarcit... more Heavy metal (HM) food contamination is detrimental to food safety and human health. Water scarcity, food shortage, illiteracy, failure to enforce environmental protection laws, and food quality regulations account for human HM contamination. Understanding their uptake pattern in food crops and how the crops behave under excessive concentration of these hazardous chemicals will guide farmers, researchers, and policymakers in devising appropriate control measures that will ensure the production and consumption of safer food crops. Relevant texts published by Science Direct, Springer Nature, and Wiley between January 2018 and December 2020 were cited in this article. The article discussed major factors affecting HM accumulation and the effects of HM stress on yield, physiology, and chemical properties of food crops. Wastewater irrigation, production in contaminated soil, and atmospheric deposit contributed to the contamination. Factors that influence HM uptake are those related to soil and irrigation water qualities and plant properties. The presence of other HMs and chemicals, growing season, crop age, planting method, and food crop type also affect HM uptake in food crops. HM stress affects anatomy, physiology including antioxidant defense mechanisms, nutrient availability and uptake, germination, seedlings development, growth, yield, leaf geometry, root and shoot length, plant genetics, pollination, and chemical composition including moisture content, soluble protein, and pigment content and characteristics.

FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES, 2021

The qualities of agricultural soil and water are diminishing continuously due to the rigorous ant... more The qualities of agricultural soil and water are diminishing continuously due to the rigorous anthropogenic activities currently stocking the soil with a lot of toxic chemicals including heavy metals. Heavy metals are highly persistent and non-biodegradable, control of their contamination is very tricky to handle. Their presence in soil and water is detrimental to food crops and humans. Various sources of heavy metals contaminants and the role of urban food production on human heavy metal contamination were discussed.Heavy metals have their way into the soil and food crops through wastewater irrigation and production in contaminated soil. The habitual heavy metals contamination sources for food crops are wastewater irrigation, abuse of agrochemicals, production in the contaminated field, atmospheric deposit when foods are exposed to contaminated air, and unethical mining activities. Agricultural soil in urban and peri-urban areas are heavily contaminated with heavy metal due to vari...

Bayero Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, 2020

In Nigeria, fish is highly sought after as a healthy meat option. Unfortunately, most fish are sp... more In Nigeria, fish is highly sought after as a healthy meat option. Unfortunately, most fish are spoilt after harvest due to poor handling and preservation techniques. The traditional methods of fish preservation are fraught with inconsistent product quality methods of drying depend on the locality. This research therefore, evaluated commercial sun-dried catfish (C. Kano (KN)metropoles for their physico results showed that moisture content of dried fish samples from Kano (KN) ranged from 6.60-7.80 % and those from Wudil (WD) ranged from 5.00 lowest protein content of 57.43 % and WD significant differences in the pH (5.36 fish samples at p<0.05. Acid value was highest in WD (5.25 mgKOH/g) and lowest in KN cadmium in all the fish samples ranged from 3.17 to 3.18 mg/kg, except for sample KN (0.72 mg/kg). KN-D had the highest Chromium content. The total microbial loads (2.0×10 3-4.5×10 4 cfu/g) were within acceptable safety limits. WD highest coliform counts (150 MpN). The sensory evaluation showed KN highest scores of acceptability while W from the markets had varied quality but were fit for consumption. There is the ne improvement in production, storage and sales environment.

Science of The Total Environment, 2019

Baobab fruit-derived waste was evaluated as a source of phenolic compounds. • 45 compounds mostly... more Baobab fruit-derived waste was evaluated as a source of phenolic compounds. • 45 compounds mostly phenolics were identified by the LC-MS/QTOF analysis. • Several new compounds had never been reported in baobab fruit. • BFS extract showed the highest TPC, TFC and antioxidant activity than the pulp and seeds. • BFS extract was more potent against αamylase and α-glucosidase enzymes than acarbose.

Dutse Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, 2022

Eating of road side ready-to-eat (RTE) salads that is made with green leafy vegetables (GLVs) com... more Eating of road side ready-to-eat (RTE) salads that is made with green leafy vegetables (GLVs) commonly lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) or Cress (Lepidium sativum Linn.) as the key constituents coupled with adding tomatoes, sliced onions, cucumber, groundnut cake and so on has been reported to cause severe safety threats owing to its being extremely disposed to microbiologically inclined contamination, thereby leading to a public health issue. Pathogenic microorganisms pollute salads as a result of mishandling of raw vegetables, during preparation of salads and also associated environment. Soils typically harbor abundant microorganisms, some of which are human pathogens such as B. cereus, Clostridium botulinum, C. perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes and Aeromonas. Birds are carriers of pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Campylobacter. Reptiles and arthropods are usually in cultivation fields, and therefore have unrestricted access...

Apple Academic Press eBooks, Jan 11, 2023

Maimuna Garba, 2021

Vegetables are one of the classes of foods that importantly contribute to the whole health and we... more Vegetables are one of the classes of foods that importantly contribute to the whole health and wellbeing of its consumers. It benefits the human body with important nutrients and help in reducing kind of chronic diseases. Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are generally becoming more popular even in the developing world due to change in lifestyles. One of the most usually RTE food consumed in the northern Nigeria is road side salad that is arranged with vegetables usually lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) or Cress (Lepidium sativum Linn.) as the main components with the addition of tomato, onion and carrot. However, the consumption of RTE foods promote severe safety threats as vegetables prove well-known trace element and heavy metals (HMs) some of which are essential for good health while some are toxic. HMs include lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), silver (Ag), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and platinum (Pt). Different sources through which vegetables can be contaminated with these HMs are natural sources, agricultural sources, industrial sources, domestic effluent, atmospheric sources and other sources. Ingestion of vegetables containing HMs is one of the major means in which these elements enter human body. Once entered, HMs is dumped in bone and fat tissues, overlapping noble minerals. Slowly released into the body, HMs can cause an array of diseases. Thus, the essence of this study is to review the safety of the RTE vegetable salads, assessing the contamination level of some dangerous HMs present. As RTE salads can be contaminated with different types HMs that makes them unsafe for human consumption, regulatory bodies should design a periodic workshop training for RTE foods hawkers to help fix the problems and enhance the effectiveness of RTE vegetables salads preparation. Public awareness on the serious health risk associated with mishandled prepared insignificantly processed RTE foods most especially vegetable salads should be considered.

Biochemistry, Jun 12, 2024

Dutse Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, Apr 24, 2024

Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology

Perishable fresh vegetables that do not meet cosmetic standards and other crop waste rich resourc... more Perishable fresh vegetables that do not meet cosmetic standards and other crop waste rich resources are presently wasted. Mangifera indica leaves, Psidium guajava leaves, Petroselinum crispum leaves and Daucus carota were selected as model vegetables to show that they can be converted into a shelf-stable novel functional powdered product. A novel functional product from a blend of these powdered vegetables (FPPV) was formulated. To evaluate the shelf-life of FPPV. The novel functional product from a blend of powdered vegetables (FPPV) was prepared in the Food Science and Nutrition laboratory, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences, India. The samples were subjected to accelerated stability study maintaining temperature and relative humidity 40°C ± 2°C and 75% ± 5% respectively. Organoleptic, physico‑chemical and microbiological properties of FPPV was analyzed at an interval of 0, 1, 3 and 6 months to check the degradation levels in the formulation. Organo...

Turkish Journal of Food and Agriculture Sciences

Agricultural soil is contaminated with dangerous heavy metals (HMs) from anthropogenic activities... more Agricultural soil is contaminated with dangerous heavy metals (HMs) from anthropogenic activities and natural processes. These HMs are passed to humans through the consumption of crops produced in the contaminated soil. Crop production in a contaminated field and irrigation with raw untreated sewage and industrial effluents exposed food crops to HMs contaminations. Consumption of foods contaminated with HMs can be dangerous due to their persistent nature and tendency to accumulate in human tissues. HMs contamination in humans can lead to serious health problems and, in severe cases, can cause death. This review article aimed to compile soil treatment methods reported to be effective in reducing HMs uptake by food crops in active agricultural fields, outline research gaps and suggest areas for future research. Soil treatment with biochar is the most effective control method reported, was found to mitigate the uptake of Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, and Cu in different crops. Other control measures...

Apple Academic Press eBooks, Jan 11, 2023

Global Journal of Agricultural Research

Due to fresh water scarcity challenges around the world, high increase in the demand for agricult... more Due to fresh water scarcity challenges around the world, high increase in the demand for agricultural irrigation water from different sources including hydrocarbon contaminated wastewater increases. However, these wastewaters can alter soil physical and chemical properties. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the hydrocarbon contaminated irrigation water on some selected soil physical and chemical properties from three phases of Sharada industrial area, Kano, Nigeria. Soil and water samples were collected from three different phases of the industrial area and analyzed using standard laboratory procedures. The hydrocarbon irrigation water quality analyses indicated that the hydrocarbon concentration in all phases was low and below irrigation reuse standard. However, the major irrigation water quality parameters; chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), hydrogen carbonate (HCO3), ammonium-nitrogen (NH4-N), potassium (K), c...

Dutse Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences

Genetically modified foods (GMFs )), GMOs or engineered foods refer to foods produced from geneti... more Genetically modified foods (GMFs )), GMOs or engineered foods refer to foods produced from genetic ally modified plants or animal s who se DNA have undergone modifications either by an inherent or a foreign DNA (transgenes) for improvement of the targeted o rganism. Genetically modified foods were introduced to Nigeria by National Biotechno logy Development Agency ( to combat food security issues and other agricultural challenges . After the introduction, the Nigerian Government believed that the products can be release d to the m arket. This brought persistent argument s by Nigerians on the perception and acceptance of the GM foods. The basis for the arguments were made on factors such as safety , environmental threat, price , means of colonization, food security, family size, potentiality , awareness of GM foods. These arguments were by individuals and organizations within various areas /fields in Nigeria. The perception led to the division of Nigerians to protagonists and antago...

FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES, 2022

The most concern postharvest safety issue in food grains is aflatoxins production in contaminated... more The most concern postharvest safety issue in food grains is aflatoxins production in contaminated stored grains. Consumption of aflatoxins contaminated grains can lead to complicated health issues that can lead to death. Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites commonly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. They were reported to disturb foetus development, causes changes in living cells, suppresses the immune system and causes many forms of cancers. Aflatoxin B1 was classified under group I carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Aflatoxins contamination affects food security and can hinder international trade due to the strict ban enforce by many nations. Contaminations were reported in raw and processed grains (including ready-to-eat), milk and meat of farm animals and human breastmilk and blood. Major causes of grains aflatoxins contamination are wrong harvesting time and method, improper drying, poor storage and processing and higher moi...

Dutse Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, 2022

Vegetables are one of the classes of foods that importantly contribute to the whole health and we... more Vegetables are one of the classes of foods that importantly contribute to the whole health and wellbeing of its consumers. It benefits the human body with important nutrients and help in reducing kind of chronic diseases. Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are generally becoming more popular even in the developing world due to change in lifestyles. One of the most usually RTE food consumed in the northern Nigeria is road side salad that is arranged with vegetables usually lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) or Cress (Lepidium sativum Linn.) as the main components with the addition of tomato, onion and carrot. However, the consumption of RTE foods promote severe safety threats as vegetables prove well-known trace element and heavy metals (HMs) some of which are essential for good health while some are toxic. HMs include lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), silver (Ag), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and platinum (Pt). Differ...

Agricultural Science and Technology, 2021

Heavy metal (HM) food contamination is detrimental to food safety and human health. Water scarcit... more Heavy metal (HM) food contamination is detrimental to food safety and human health. Water scarcity, food shortage, illiteracy, failure to enforce environmental protection laws, and food quality regulations account for human HM contamination. Understanding their uptake pattern in food crops and how the crops behave under excessive concentration of these hazardous chemicals will guide farmers, researchers, and policymakers in devising appropriate control measures that will ensure the production and consumption of safer food crops. Relevant texts published by Science Direct, Springer Nature, and Wiley between January 2018 and December 2020 were cited in this article. The article discussed major factors affecting HM accumulation and the effects of HM stress on yield, physiology, and chemical properties of food crops. Wastewater irrigation, production in contaminated soil, and atmospheric deposit contributed to the contamination. Factors that influence HM uptake are those related to soil and irrigation water qualities and plant properties. The presence of other HMs and chemicals, growing season, crop age, planting method, and food crop type also affect HM uptake in food crops. HM stress affects anatomy, physiology including antioxidant defense mechanisms, nutrient availability and uptake, germination, seedlings development, growth, yield, leaf geometry, root and shoot length, plant genetics, pollination, and chemical composition including moisture content, soluble protein, and pigment content and characteristics.

FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES, 2021

The qualities of agricultural soil and water are diminishing continuously due to the rigorous ant... more The qualities of agricultural soil and water are diminishing continuously due to the rigorous anthropogenic activities currently stocking the soil with a lot of toxic chemicals including heavy metals. Heavy metals are highly persistent and non-biodegradable, control of their contamination is very tricky to handle. Their presence in soil and water is detrimental to food crops and humans. Various sources of heavy metals contaminants and the role of urban food production on human heavy metal contamination were discussed.Heavy metals have their way into the soil and food crops through wastewater irrigation and production in contaminated soil. The habitual heavy metals contamination sources for food crops are wastewater irrigation, abuse of agrochemicals, production in the contaminated field, atmospheric deposit when foods are exposed to contaminated air, and unethical mining activities. Agricultural soil in urban and peri-urban areas are heavily contaminated with heavy metal due to vari...

Bayero Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, 2020

In Nigeria, fish is highly sought after as a healthy meat option. Unfortunately, most fish are sp... more In Nigeria, fish is highly sought after as a healthy meat option. Unfortunately, most fish are spoilt after harvest due to poor handling and preservation techniques. The traditional methods of fish preservation are fraught with inconsistent product quality methods of drying depend on the locality. This research therefore, evaluated commercial sun-dried catfish (C. Kano (KN)metropoles for their physico results showed that moisture content of dried fish samples from Kano (KN) ranged from 6.60-7.80 % and those from Wudil (WD) ranged from 5.00 lowest protein content of 57.43 % and WD significant differences in the pH (5.36 fish samples at p<0.05. Acid value was highest in WD (5.25 mgKOH/g) and lowest in KN cadmium in all the fish samples ranged from 3.17 to 3.18 mg/kg, except for sample KN (0.72 mg/kg). KN-D had the highest Chromium content. The total microbial loads (2.0×10 3-4.5×10 4 cfu/g) were within acceptable safety limits. WD highest coliform counts (150 MpN). The sensory evaluation showed KN highest scores of acceptability while W from the markets had varied quality but were fit for consumption. There is the ne improvement in production, storage and sales environment.

Science of The Total Environment, 2019

Baobab fruit-derived waste was evaluated as a source of phenolic compounds. • 45 compounds mostly... more Baobab fruit-derived waste was evaluated as a source of phenolic compounds. • 45 compounds mostly phenolics were identified by the LC-MS/QTOF analysis. • Several new compounds had never been reported in baobab fruit. • BFS extract showed the highest TPC, TFC and antioxidant activity than the pulp and seeds. • BFS extract was more potent against αamylase and α-glucosidase enzymes than acarbose.

Dutse Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, 2022

Eating of road side ready-to-eat (RTE) salads that is made with green leafy vegetables (GLVs) com... more Eating of road side ready-to-eat (RTE) salads that is made with green leafy vegetables (GLVs) commonly lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) or Cress (Lepidium sativum Linn.) as the key constituents coupled with adding tomatoes, sliced onions, cucumber, groundnut cake and so on has been reported to cause severe safety threats owing to its being extremely disposed to microbiologically inclined contamination, thereby leading to a public health issue. Pathogenic microorganisms pollute salads as a result of mishandling of raw vegetables, during preparation of salads and also associated environment. Soils typically harbor abundant microorganisms, some of which are human pathogens such as B. cereus, Clostridium botulinum, C. perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes and Aeromonas. Birds are carriers of pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Campylobacter. Reptiles and arthropods are usually in cultivation fields, and therefore have unrestricted access...

Apple Academic Press eBooks, Jan 11, 2023

Maimuna Garba, 2021

Vegetables are one of the classes of foods that importantly contribute to the whole health and we... more Vegetables are one of the classes of foods that importantly contribute to the whole health and wellbeing of its consumers. It benefits the human body with important nutrients and help in reducing kind of chronic diseases. Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are generally becoming more popular even in the developing world due to change in lifestyles. One of the most usually RTE food consumed in the northern Nigeria is road side salad that is arranged with vegetables usually lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) or Cress (Lepidium sativum Linn.) as the main components with the addition of tomato, onion and carrot. However, the consumption of RTE foods promote severe safety threats as vegetables prove well-known trace element and heavy metals (HMs) some of which are essential for good health while some are toxic. HMs include lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), silver (Ag), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and platinum (Pt). Different sources through which vegetables can be contaminated with these HMs are natural sources, agricultural sources, industrial sources, domestic effluent, atmospheric sources and other sources. Ingestion of vegetables containing HMs is one of the major means in which these elements enter human body. Once entered, HMs is dumped in bone and fat tissues, overlapping noble minerals. Slowly released into the body, HMs can cause an array of diseases. Thus, the essence of this study is to review the safety of the RTE vegetable salads, assessing the contamination level of some dangerous HMs present. As RTE salads can be contaminated with different types HMs that makes them unsafe for human consumption, regulatory bodies should design a periodic workshop training for RTE foods hawkers to help fix the problems and enhance the effectiveness of RTE vegetables salads preparation. Public awareness on the serious health risk associated with mishandled prepared insignificantly processed RTE foods most especially vegetable salads should be considered.

Introduction Tomatoes are believed to originate from Central and South American countries and bec... more Introduction Tomatoes are believed to originate from Central and South American countries and became gradually dispersed through Africa from Spanish colonies. It is one of the most popular vegetables worldwide and plays a vital role in human diet. The fruits are consumed directly as salads, in soups, juice, ketchup and paste. They are rich in vitamins (particularly A and C), minerals, sugars, essential amino acids, iron and dietary fiber. Vitamins A and C are vital in improving eye sight and warding off muscular degeneration. Tomatoes also contain higher amounts (than most fruits) of lycopene, a caretonoid with anti oxidant properties and beneficial in reducing the incidences of cancer, cardiovascular disorders and enhance fertility by improving the quality and swimming speed of sperm. Nigeria is the second largest producer of tomatoes in Africa and 14th in the world [1]. The estimated total postharvest loss of tomatoes in Nigeria is about 60% which translates to huge economic loss [2] which prompted the search for simple, effective and economical methods to control postharvest losses in tomatoes. Technologies like chemical dips greatly influence the level of postharvest losses and the quality of produce. Fungi are the most prevalent pathogens infecting and causing losses during storage, transportation and marketing [2]. Postharvest treatments like application of chlorine solutions are known to reduce enzymatic activity and decay by pathogens thereby extending the storage life of the produce [3].

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is a herbaceous plant belonging to the family Solanaceae o... more Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is a herbaceous plant belonging to the family Solanaceae originated from South American countries and dispersed throughout African continent by the Portuguese. Nigeria is the second largest producer of tomatoes in Africa and 14th in the world. Tomatoes are rich in vitamins (particularly A and C), minerals, sugars, essential amino acids, iron, dietary fibers and phosphorus. It is also an important source of lycopene, a type of caretonoid with anti oxidant properties and beneficial in reducing the incidence of some diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disorders and also believed to enhance fertility. The estimated total postharvest loss of tomatoes in Nigeria is about 60% which translates to huge economic loss. It was observed that postharvest loss in tomato can be categorized into on farm and off farm challenges. The on farm postharvest challenges include inappropriate harvesting, inappropriate harvesting containers, field heat, lack of storage facilities, inappropriate packaging materials and poor sanitation. While the off farm postharvest challenges include lack of access road/bad roads, inappropriate mode of transport, lack of processing facilities and inappropriate packaging at retail. The huge loss prompted the search for simple, effective and economical method to control pre and postharvest diseases and other losses in tomato fruits. Postharvest technologies like chemical treatments, packaging and storage improve the quality of produce thereby extending its storage life. It is hoped that the findings of this study will bring about substantial reduction in tomato postharvest loss through the provision of small scale Postharvest technologies for short and medium term storage of tomatoes which would be simple, efficient and cost effective. This will in turn translate to economic gains to small and medium scale farmers and increased food security. Introduction Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) is a herbaceous annual plant belonging to the family Solanaceae. Tomato fruits are consumed both in fresh form and as processed products in Nigeria. They are highly nutritious and contain high level of vitamins A, B and C. It is an important vegetable accounting for 18 % of the total vegetable intake in Nigeria. One medium sized (about 150 g) tomato fruit provides half the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C for an adult [1]. The lycopene content of tomato fruits has been reported by various workers and it varies from one variety to another and also with environmental factors. Losses as high as 50% are commonly reported for fruits and vegetables and these losses occur due to poor handling,