Browsing by Author "Tandoh, M. A."

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    Borassus aethiopum Fruit Pulp Extract has Antimicrobial Activity on Selected Clinical Microbial Strains
    (Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medical Research, 2018-10) Ayertey, E.; Tandoh, M. A.; Mills-Robertson, F. C.; Kumah, D. B.; Larbie, C.; Aninkorah, N. P.
    Background: Antimicrobials of plant origin have a huge therapeutic prospective and can efficiently be used to treat infectious diseases with reduced or no side effects as related to using synthetic antimicrobials. A potential plant-based antimicrobial is that obtained from Borassus aethiopum. The anti-inflammatory, pro-apoptotic, antipyretic and anti-venom properties of extracts of B. aethiopum plant have been reported in literature these past few years.Objective: The antimicrobial property and phytoconstituents of aqueous ripe fruit extract of B. aethiopum were investigated. Methods: The ripe fruit extract of B. aethiopum was prepared by macerating the mesocarps of the fruits and then screened for the presence of phytochemicals using standard methods. The extract’s antimicrobial activity was studied by agar well diffusion method against Salmonella typhi ATCC 19430, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 33495, Proteus mirabilis ATCC 25923, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Staphylococcus saprophyticus ATCC 15305 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. Chloramphenicol mixed with tetracycline was used as a standard antibacterial agent (Positive control). Sterile distilled water was used as diluent for reconstituting the aqueous extract. Results: The aqueous extract revealed the presence of tannins, terpenoids, saponins and cardiac glycosides. The antibacterial activity revealed that at 30%, 40% and 50% w/v (0.3g/ml, 0.4g/ml and 0.5g/ml) of the extract, all the test bacterial strains were susceptible to the aqueous ripe fruit extracts of B. aethiopum. Conclusion: Ripe fruit extracts of B. aethiopum was rich in phytochemicals and exhibited potential antibacterial activity against all seven bacterial strains used
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    Food label experiences among tertiary students in the Western North Region of Ghana
    (Journal of Science and Technology, 2023) Tandoh, M. A.; Turkson, R.; Apprey, Charles; 0000-0002-4071-5049
    Food labels are important tools for promoting healthy eating, preventing food borne diseases and food allergies. Examining consumers’ experiences with food labels helps to measure their impact in fulfilling these purposes. A survey was conducted among 193 students from three Training Colleges in the Western North Region of Ghana. A validated questionnaire was used to solicit information on demographics, nutrition knowledge exposure, food label use, factors and challenges that affect food label use. There were 53.9% males and 46.1% females, with the majority of them within the age of twenty and twenty-five years (86.1%). Most participants viewed food labels as very important information used in the choice of packaged foods (89.6%). Food label information, often read by users were the expiry dates (94.2%), name of the product (89.1%) and manufacturing dates (83.9%). With nutrition information, participants focused very often on proteins (69.9%), fats (62.2%), vitamins and minerals (63.2%). Factors that influenced food label use were nutrition knowledge (73.1%), health status (70.5%) and educational level (61.1%). Even though food label use was high among participants, they strongly agreed that small font size (39.9%), inability to interpret nutritional values (36.3%) and unfamiliar terminologies (35.8%) impeded maximum utilization of the information. In addition, 48.2% agreed that limited time for shopping also limited their use of food label information. The study, therefore, suggests that public education on food labels should be intensified and policies that will simplify food label information should be considered to enhance better understanding and consequently promote healthy food choices.