http://irepo.futminna.edu.ng:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/56 2026-09-11T16:22:06Z http://irepo.futminna.edu.ng:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/31971 Title: DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF A HOMESTEAD SOLAR-POWERED FISH FEED PELLET DRYER Authors: Adebayo, Segun Emmanuel; Mohammed, A. S; Bake, G. G; Mohammed, I. S; Lawal, M; Muhammadu, M. M Abstract: A homestead solar-powered feed pellet dryer was developed and tested at the old teaching and research farm in the Water Resources Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, to alleviate problems associated with the traditional method of drying in Nigeria. The machine consists of six main parts (base, drying chamber, slideout trays, 110-watt fan, door, and solar power system). Performance evaluation was conducted on the dryer to assess the moisture content and drying rate of the pellets. Three kg of pellets with an initial percentage moisture content (%MC) of 28.62 % were used to test the dryer using the first three layers with 1 kg of the pellets evenly spread on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trays at air velocities of 6.0 m/s, 2.7 m/s, and 0.5 m/s, respectively, and at a temperature range of 28-31°C. The results disclosed that the % MC of the pellets was reduced to 8.62 %, 11.32 %, and 15.02 %, while the drying rate at constant rate period decreased from 0.125 g/hr to 0.094 g/hr, and 0.072 g/hr, in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trays, respectively, after six hours of drying. Overall, the dryer was effective in drying pellets to a safe moisture level. 2025-06-01T00:00:00Z http://irepo.futminna.edu.ng:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/31946 Title: Development of a low-cost drip irrigation system for low-income farmers Authors: Animashaun, I.M.; SHUAIB, S.A; JIMOH, W; GBADEBO, A.J Abstract: Recently, the use of drip irrigation system is becoming more popular among many commercial farmers in Nigeria and the West Africa at large due to the reduced level of the available fresh water resulting from factors such as climate change and increase in population. However, the drip irrigation system is associated with high initial and maintenance cost, a limiting factor to low-income farmers. To this end, this project was aimed at developing low-cost drip irrigation system. To achieve this, drip irrigation system was designed and constructed to have high efficiency at low cost. The design was site-specific and consideration was given to the emitter spacing and emitter flow rates. The construction was done exclusively from cheap and locally available materials (such as T – Joint, Control Valve, PVC Pipe (1/2, 3/4 inches), Hose Pipe, PVC gum, Elbow connector, Union connector, T – Connector, Nail, Sieve, 25 liters Jerry-Can), integrating the medical infusion set as emitter. The evaluation of the developed system was done by catching water discharged by emitter containers into shallow container and measured after a minute. The result of the evaluation showed that the minimum, maximum and average discharged were 7010 mL/hr (7.01l/hr), 7560 mL/hr (7.6l/hr) and 7280 mL/hr respectively. The obtained measurements were all within the 5% deviation below and above the mean value suggesting that the system will be efficient for water and fertilizer application. Hence, construction of drip irrigation system of high efficiency and low cost was achieved. It is recommended that the performance evaluation of the system be done with crops. 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z http://irepo.futminna.edu.ng:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/31945 Title: Sensory Properties of Bread Fortified with Soya Protein Isolate and Fonio Blends Authors: SALAUDEEN, O.H.; orhevba, B.A; SHUAIB, S.A; MUSTAPHA, K.T Abstract: In this study, the sensory properties of bread produced from composite flours ranging from 31.75 ≤ wheat ≤ 49.21, 2.38 ≤ soy protein isolate (SPI) ≤ 15.87, and 1.32 ≤ fonio flour ≤ 7.94 at 187.5oC for 30min at constant temperature and time were determined. A modified straight-dough procedure was used to produce the bread. The sensory properties of the composite bread determined were color, taste, aroma, texture, and overall acceptability. Analysis of variance indicated that the linear, quadratic, and interactive effects of A (wheat flour), B (soy protein isolate), and C (fonio flour) significantly (p ≤ 0.05) affected all the composite bread properties evaluated. The bread with optimal quality indexes and an overall desirability index of 0.568 was obtained from 39.42% wheat, 6.28% SPI, and 13.76% Fonio. The sensory properties of this optimal bread were: appearance (4.07), taste (4.40), aroma (3.89), texture (3.89), and overall acceptability (3.56). It was concluded that there was no significant difference observed between the whole wheat and the composite bread sample in the sensory attributes of taste and color, while significant differences were observed in texture, aroma, and overall preference, respectively. 2024-05-01T00:00:00Z http://irepo.futminna.edu.ng:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/31944 Title: Evaluation of Effects of Different Processing Methods on The Formation of Acrylamide in Potato Chips Authors: SALAUDEEN, O.H; PAUL, OMALE; ABBA, J; SHUAIB, SEGUN ABDULLAHI Abstract: Acrylamide, a potential carcinogen, forms during high-temperature cooking processes such as frying, baking, and roasting, especially in starchy foods like potatoes. This study aims to evaluate the influence of different frying methods: palm oil, vegetable oil, and air frying on acrylamide formation in homecooked potato chips. Freshly harvested potatoes were processed under varying conditions of temperature, time, and slice thickness to investigate acrylamide levels using Reverse-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) methods. Results showed significant variation in acrylamide content depending on the processing method. Palm oil frying produced acrylamide levels ranging from 405 to 534 µg/kg, with higher temperatures resulting in increased acrylamide formation. Vegetable oil frying yielded lower acrylamide levels (355–502 µg/kg), while air frying produced the highest levels (604–749 µg/kg). The study found that air frying significantly increased acrylamide content compared to conventional frying methods, likely due to the higher temperature and air-based heat transfer. The ANOVA results indicated that the processing parameters, particularly temperature, significantly influenced acrylamide formation, with R² values of 98.16%, 97.52%, and 99.23% for palm oil, vegetable oil, and air frying, respectively. This research contributes valuable insights into acrylamide mitigation strategies in potato chips production, with potential implications for improving food safety and quality. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z