J. Nutrition and Food Processing Copy rights@ Abdurrazzaq Ibrahim Abdullahi, Auctores Publishing LLC – Volume 7(6)-224 www.auctoresonline.org ISSN: 2637-8914 Page 1 of 5 Antimicrobial Effects of Fenugreek (Trigonella foecum-graecum) Extract on Smoked Dried African Catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) Abdurrazzaq Ibrahim Abdullahi 1 *, Andara Haruna 1 and Tukur Mohammed 2 1 Department of Fisheries, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, 600004, Nigeria. 2 Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria 810107, Nigeria. *Corresponding author: Abdurrazzaq Ibrahim Abdullahi, Department of Fisheries, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, 600004, Nigeria. Received date: May 31, 2024; Accepted date: June 17, 2024; Published date: June 28, 2024 Citation: Abdurrazzaq I. Abdullahi, Andara Haruna and Tukur Mohammed, (2024), Antimicrobial Effects of Fenugreek (Trigonella foecum- graecum) Extract on Smoked Dried African Catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822), J. Nutrition and Food Processing, 7(6); DOI:10.31579/2637-8914/224 Copyright: © 2024, Abdurrazzaq Ibrahim Abdullahi. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract: This study evaluated the antimicrobial effects of fenugreek (Trigonella foecum-graecum) extract solution on smoke-dried African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) stored at ambient temperature (32.0±2°C) over the period of 21 days. The experimental treatments were the control, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% (w/v) fenugreek extract solutions. A total of 70 fish of average mean weight of 30.98±1.32g were degutted, washed and soaked in the extract solutions for 30 minutes and later smoked-dried for 12 hours. The smoked-dried fish treated with 1.0% solution of extract had the highest moisture content of 12.33%, followed by 11.39% recorded in fish treated with 0.0% solution of the extract. Highest crude protein of 49.09% was obtained in the control while the least (37.76%) was recorded in the fish treated with 0.5% fenugreek extract. There was no increase in microbial loads in all the treated samples except in the control which increased from 5×103 to 18×103. There was no significant difference in the general acceptability of all the treated samples. This study revealed that fenugreek extract can be used as a preservative against microbial activities on smoked-dried Clarias gariepinus thereby reducing nutritional and economic loss. Key words: fenugreek extract, microbial activities, African catfish, general acceptability. Introduction Fish is highly perishable because it provides favourable medium for the growth of microorganism after death [1]. The emergence of antibiotic- resistant bacteria has become a global problem and has led to a search for alternative sources of antimicrobial agents. Inadequate storage and preservation techniques are responsible for up to 40% of the total catch going to waste. Many of the challenges associated with fish spoilage are as a result of the lack of proper storage and preservation, leading to low protein intake, post-harvest losses, and lack of adequate technology and skills in many tropical countries [2]. Composition of the microflora on newly caught fish depends on the microbial contents of the water in which the fish live. Fish microflora includes bacterial species such as Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Vibrio, Serratia and Micrococcus [3]. Microbial growth and metabolism are the major causes of fish spoilage which produce amines, biogenic amines such as putrescine, histamine and cadaverine, organic acids, sulphides, alcohols, aldehydes and ketones with unpleasant and unacceptable off-flavors [4]. For unpreserved fish, spoilage is a result of gram negative, fermentative bacteria (such as Vibrionaceae), whereas psychrotolerant gram-negative bacteria (such as Pseudomonas spp. and Shewanella spp.) tend to spoil chilled fish [3]. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum Linn) is a legume belonging to the Fabaceae family. Nearly 175 compounds have been identified in fenugreek seeds [5]. Fenugreek contains active constituents such as steroid saponin compounds, fibers, phenolic acid compounds, protodioscin, flavonoids, hydrocarbons, alkaloids, terpenes, fatty acids glycosides, carbohydrates, amino acids, and their derivatives [6]. Fenugreek is rich with a wide variety of metabolites such as tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids and glycosides which are known to have antimicrobial properties [7]. Studying the antimicrobial effects of fenugreek extract on smoked-dried Clarias gariepinus can provide insight into its potential as natural preservative against microbial activities. Thus, this study aimed at evaluating the antimicrobial effects of fenugreek (Trigonella foecum-graecum) extract solution on smoke-dried African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). Materials and Methods Study Area Open Access Research Article Journal of Nutrition and Food Processing Abdurrazzaq Ibrahim Abdullahi * AUCTORES Globalize your Research