Evaluation of the Potential Toxicity of the Starch from the Shoot of Borassus Aethiopum Mart in Wistar Rats

Background: The shoot of Borassus aethiopum is cultivated and consumed in Northern Nigeria. Its starch has been investigated for use in pharmaceutical formulation but have limited studies on its toxicity. Toxicity is the degree to which a substance (a toxin or poison) can harm humans or animals. The plant Borassus aethiopum Mart belongs to the family Aracaceae, commonly known as the African Fan Palm. The shoot of the plant is commonly referred to as “Muruchi” in Hausa and is widely available and edible.Objective: This experimental research was designed to examine the potential toxicity of the starch from the shoot of Borassus aethiopum in acute and subacute studies using Wistar rats.Material and Methods: Fresh shoots of Borassus aethiopum were obtained, washed, peeled and grinded using mechanical grinder. The starch was extracted using water. Acute toxicity was carried out using OECD guideline 425. Healthy rats of both sexes were randomly grouped into four groups of six rats each (n=6) for the 28-days oral toxicity study. Distilled water was administered at the dose of 2ml/kg to group I which served as the control while groups II, III and IV were orally administered the starch from the shoot of Borassus aethiopum at the doses of 300, 600 and 1200 mg/kg daily for 28 days respectively. The animals were sacrificed after 28-days at which the blood samples were collected through cardiac puncture into plain and EDTA-containing tubes for biochemical and haematological analyses respectively. The liver, kidney, heart and spleen were excised, weighed and examined macroscopically.Results: The phytochemical screening reveals the presence of alkaloids, tannins, and carbohydrate. The acute toxicity (LD50) of Borassus aethiopum was found to be greater than 4000 mg/kg body weight. No notable and significant changes in the relative organ weight as well as the levels of the renal and hematological biomarkers when compared with the control. However, there was significant increase in serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT).Conclusion: In conclusion, the results of this study indicated that the starch from the shoot of Borassus aethiopum showed some evidence of potential toxicity on the liver but did not affect the renal and haematological parameters.

Study of physicochemical, functional, particle size and fermentation properties of flours composed of wheat and young shoots of palmyra palm in the perspective of the preparation of compound bread

This study on wheat flour type 55, the flour of young shoots of Palmyra palm (Borassus aethiopum Mart.), the mixture of the two (2) flours containing 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% of flour of young shoots of the palmyra palm, is an enhancement of the young shoots of the palmyra palm, a tuber little transformed in Côte d'Ivoire. The study on the physicochemical properties of the different flours revealed that the incorporation of the flour of young shoots of palmyra palm in the compound flours increased the content of reducing sugars, total sugars and especially fibers, which is beneficial for the health of populations ; the lipid and ash contents of wheat flour and of compound flour are not significantly different at the 5% threshold; the bulk density contents of all the flours are not significantly different at the 5% threshold with a general average of 0.65g / ml. The study of the functional properties revealed that the percentage solubility and the water absorption capacity of wheat flours and compound flours are not significantly different at the 5% level; that the swelling power of all the flours is not significantly different at the 5% level with a general average of 0.057 g/g. This study also consisted in evaluating the fermentation activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae during the fermentation at 30 °C of baking dough containing 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% of flour of young shoots of palmyra palm. When the incorporation rate is equal to 5%, we observe an increase in the fermentation activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and a significant volume increase in the fermentation paste. However, when the flour content of young shoots is greater than 5%, a gradual decrease in the fermentation activity of the yeast is observed. The granulometric study revealed that the flour of young shoots of palmyra palm is the finest with a grain content of less than 63µm diameter higher.

Biochemical and molecular characterization of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria isolated from Borassus aethiopum Mart. sap in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, the Palmyra Palm Borassus aethiopum Mart. grows wild and gives natural stands in Central-Eastern and Eastern regions. The sap collected traditionally ferments spontaneously and is a rich medium that allows the growth of different microorganisms. This study aimed to identify yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from Borassus aethiopum Mart. fresh and fermented sap in Burkina Faso. A total of ninety strains including thirty LAB and sixty yeasts were isolated in the fresh and fermented sap. The isolates were characterized using standard biochemical method and sequencing of the V1 to V6 region of 16S rDNA of LAB and 28S rDNA of yeasts. The neighbour-joining method was used for the construction of phylogenetic tree with MEGA X software. After biochemical characterization and sequencing of the V1 to V6 region of 16S rDNA, twenty LAB strains (67%) were identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides, seven (23%) as Enterococcus sp. and three (10%) as Enterococcus gilvus. Sequencing of the yeast 28S rDNA showed that 63% of the strains were Saccharomyces cerevisiae and 37% Pichia kudriavzevii. Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are commonly isolated from several palm sap or wine of palm trees, but Enterococcus sp. and Pichia kudriavzevii are not commonly detected in palm wine. The LAB species Enterococcus gilvus identified in our study has not yet been isolated previously in palm wine. The yeasts and LAB isolated from Borassus aethiopum sap are the main microorganisms responsible for sap fermentation and could be used for several biotechnological applications.