Thesis(M.Sc.(Agriculture Horticulture)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Innovative methods of preserving the quality of traditionally processed green leafy vegetables are underway in Africa. Improvement of processing and preservation methods of leafy vegetables is another way of overcoming perishability restrictions and guaranteeing continued quality food supply in rural areas. The objectives of this study were: to determine the effect of time-based oven-drying on (1) mineral composition, (2) proximate composition and (3) microbial profiling of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). Separate experiments were conducted for raw and cooked cowpea leaves with four treatments, viz 0 (sun dried), 24, 48 and 72 hours of oven-drying, arranged in a randomised complete block design with 5 replications. In raw cowpea leaves, relative to control (sun-drying), oven-drying period 48hrs, significantly decreased Potassium (K), Manganese (Mn), and Sodium (Na) content in raw cowpea leaves by 6, 9 and 13%, respectively. Similarly, oven-drying period 72hrs significantly decreased Ca, Fe, Mg, Zn, P and S by 5, 11, 16, 18 and 57%, respectively. In cooked cowpea leaves, relative to control (sun-drying), oven-drying period 24hrs significantly increased Na by 18%. Similarly 48hrs oven-drying periods increased Fe and K by 6 and 8%, respectively. Similarly, oven-drying period 72hrs significantly increased Ca, Mg and Mn by 8, 8 and 3%, respectively. In contrast, oven-drying period 72hrs significantly reduced Zn, P and S by 16, 10 and 39%, respectively. Relative to control (sun-drying), oven-drying period 24hrs significantly increased fat by 46% in raw cowpea leaves, however oven-drying period 72hrs significantly decreased protein, moisture, ash, fibre and carbohydrate by 10, 29, 18, 0.5, and 7% respectively. In contrast, relative to control (sun-drying), 72hrs increased energy by 3%. In cooked cowpea leaves, relative to control (sun-drying), oven-drying period 24hrs significantly increased energy by 1%. In contrast, relative to control (sun-drying) 72hrs oven-drying period decreased energy by 1%. Similarly, ovendrying 72hrs significantly decreased protein, moisture, ash, fat, fibre and carbohydrate by 8, 14, 13, 19, 0.4 and 10% respectively. Relative to control (sun-drying), oven-drying periods 24hrs significantly increased Staphylococcus spp. in raw cowpea leaves by 6%, respectively. Relative to control (sun-drying) 72hrs oven-drying period significantly decreased Shigella spp. by 92%, respectively. In cooked leaves, relative to control (sundrying), 72hrs drying periods decreased both Shigella spp. and Staphylococcus spp. by 99 and 21%, respectively. Total coliforms unit of Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas spp, and Bacillus cereus were absent and/or at an undetectable level according to the Tempo Biomerieux system results. In conclusion, cooked leaves retained most essential mineral elements as compared to raw when subjected to 72hrs of oven-drying as there was an improvement in the concentration of Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn and Na. However, in both raw and cooked cowpea leaves proximate composition was negatively affected as there was a decrease in protein content. Oven-drying period of 24 hours can be used to minimize the loss of protein. Cooked cowpea leaves subjected to 72hrs of oven-drying had least total coliforms for both Shigella spp and Staphylococcus spp, therefore have potential to serve as an alternative to sun-drying to reduce microorganism causing spoilage in leafy vegetables. Drying raw cowpea leaves under oven-drying periods less than 72 hours should be avoided as it reduces the mineral concentration and increase microbial count of microorganisms responsible for spoilage. / National Research Foundation

L’objectif général de cette thèse a été d’étudier le potentiel de billes à base de molécules d’α-cyclodextrine et d’huile de soja, pour l’administration orale de principes actifs peu solubles dans l’eau.Nous avons tout d’abord vérifié qu’il était possible d’encapsuler dans les billes des molécules actives (la progestérone et l’indométacine) autres que les rétinoïdes et le diazépam, avec une teneur élevée et un rendement de fabrication satisfaisant. L’étude du comportement des billes nues lyophilisées, en termes de stabilité et de libération dans des milieux digestifs simulés, nous a permis de proposer un mécanisme de libération de la molécule encapsulée qui se déroule en plusieurs étapes: i) hydratation des billes, ii) dissolution de la matrice hydrophile d’α-cyclodextrine, iii) libération de gouttelettes d’huile contenant le principe actif puis de la fraction dissoute dans l’huile par un phénomène de partage, iiii) fragmentation des billes fragilisées et libération totale de l’huile. La présence de sels biliaires dans le milieu, accélère à la fois la libération et la quantité dissoute, en fragilisant les billes et en réduisant la valeur du coefficient de partage du principe actif entre l’huile et le milieu digestif. Nous avons montré in vitro et in vivo qu’il est possible de moduler la libération d’un principe actif à partir d’une même formulation de départ, en jouant sur l’organisation du système (émulsion sèche, billes nues, billes coquées par un nouvel ajout d’α-cyclodextrine sur les billes nues). Les études in vivo chez le rat ont révélé que l’émulsion sèche se comporte comme une forme à libération immédiate, les billes coquées comme une forme à libération prolongée et les billes nues comme une forme à libération intermédiaire. Enfin, la libération du principe actif encapsulé peut également être modulée en modifiant le mode de séchage des billes. Comparativement à la lyophilisation, le séchage à l’étuve modifie les propriétés des billes en augmentant leur résistance dans les milieux digestifs simulés et prolonge la libération de la molécule encapsulée. / The general aim of this thesis was the study of the potential of beads, made of α-cyclodextrin and soybean oil, for the oral delivery of poorly water soluble drugs. We have first verified that it was possible to encapsulate in beads, active molecules (progesterone and indomethacin), other than retinoid and diazepam, with a high drug loading and a satisfying yied. The study of the behaviour of freeze-dried naked beads, in terms of stability and drug release in simulated gastro-intestinal fluids, allowed to propose a mechanism for the release of the encapsulated drug, involving several steps: i) hydration of the freeze-dried beads, ii) dissolution of α-CD hydrophilic matrix, iii) release of oily droplets containing the active drug and then of the fraction of drug dissolved in oil, following a partition phenomenon, iiii) fragmentation of the weakened beads and at last the total release of oil. The presence of bile salts in the medium accelerates both the release and the dissolved amount, by weakening the beads and reducing the partition coefficient value of the active molecule between oil and digestive medium.We have shown in vitro as well as in vivo that it is possible to modulate the release of a model drug from the same initial formulation, according to the degree of organization of the system (dry emulsion, naked beads, coated beads obtained by an additional amount of α-cyclodextrine to the preformed naked beads). In vivo studies in rats have highlighted that dry emulsion behaves as a fast release formulation, the coated beads as a sustained release formulation and the naked beads as an intermediate one. Finally, the release of the encapsulated drug can also be modulated by modifying the drying method of the beads. Compared to freeze-drying, oven-drying modifies the properties of the beads by increasing their resistance in simulated gastro-intestinal fluids and sustaining the release of the encapsulated drug.