innaugural lecture on poly -functional egg

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UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA

Poly-Functional Egg: How can it be replaced?

Inaugural Lecture of the University of Nigeria, Delivered on October 15, 2008

by

ALEX. IKECHUKWU IKEME (KSM)

Professor of Food Science & Technology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

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DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to Gloria (Ma Cherie)

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

PROTOCOL:

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Chinedu Ositadinma Nebo;

Deputy Vice Chancellors,

Former Inaugural Lecturers present,

Fellow Academics,

Distinguished Ladies and Gentle Men,

Lions and Lionesses

THE INAUGURAL:

Professor P. Emeka Nwabueze, Professor of Theatre Arts, in delivering his Inaugural

Lecture at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka on Thursday, 30th June, 2005, exactly 3

years ago, said:

The Inaugural Lecture is an opportunity for the occupant of the chair to profess his knowledge before a diverse and erudite assembly, on a topic whose matter and manner is off necessity, not restricted to the Ivory tower.

Professor Onyechi Obidoa, Professor of Nutrition and Toxicological Biochemistry,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, also in delivering his Inaugural Lecture on September

12th, 2007 emphasized not only the importance which is, to inform or educate the

audience on the raison d‘etre of the Lecturer in the Ivory Tower but also to inspire

and motivate our younger colleagues and students in the academic enterprise inspite

of its dwindling features and self esteem. To Professor Obidoa, it is essentially a very

personal account of research experiences and apparent contributions to knowledge

and suggestions on further work and how to uplift the total academic enterprise.

Today, I will not redefine the concept of Inaugural Lecture. Ladies and Gentlemen,

permit me to capitalize on the all encompassing picture painted by our two previous

Inaugural Lecturers. I find their definitions very useful.

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The topic of my inaugural lecture is “POLY-FUNCTIONAL EGG: HOW CAN IT

BE REPLACED?”

Egg Technology is one of my research areas and it is within my area of

specialization. However, this topic is preferred to any other as its choice is

philosophical and will empower me to meander beyond my discipline which is

agriculture – specifically Meat, Fish, Poultry and Egg – into the Social Sciences

(indeed psychology and religion) and confidently too, into business

(entrepreneurship).

Today, the 15th of October 2008 in your esteemed presence, distinguished Ladies

and gentlemen, I humbly wish to present some of my contributions to the world of

knowledge and to civilization. I desire to take all of us into a stage that will traverse

many disciplines in the world’s intellectual arena. “I shall strive to inform, inspire,

motivate, encourage, and hopefully educate this august assembly” in October. Today

I am enabled by the words of Henri J.M. Nouwen as emphasized in his poem:

Fulfilling a Mission

When we live our lives as missions, we become aware that there is a home from which we are sent to which we have to return. We start thinking about ourselves as people who are in a faraway country to bring a message or work on a project, but only for a certain amount of time. When the message has been delivered and the project is finished, we want to return home to give an account of our mission and to rest from our labours.

One of the most important spiritual disciplines is to develop the knowledge that the years of our lives are years “on a mission”.

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CHAPTER TWO

MY BACKGROUND

Information pertaining to my background are as contained in my book “Saved by

Grace” published in 2001.

CHILDHOOD:

I was born at Port Harcourt into the Ikeme family of Ogbeozalla village in Onitsha,

Anambra State, Nigeria. My late father, Mr. Alexander Muofunanya Ikeme, was then

a Produce Inspector. My mother, also late, was then an elementary school teacher.

My father obtained his London Matriculation Examination Certificate from Christ

the King College (C.K.C.), Onitsha. My mother had, at that time, a Lower/Higher

Elementary Certificate from St. Monica’s Teachers’ Training College, Ugwuoba and

Women Training College (W.T.C.), Umuahia respectively. I am the second of three

children. My elder brother, Mr. Onyechi Ikeme, an accountant is married to Chinwe

Ifejika, and they are blessed with three children. My younger sister, Chineze

Anwah, once a staff of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, but now a qualified nurse

in the United States of America, is married to Dr Nnamdi Anwah, (late), an electrical

engineer/ computer analyst. They have five children.

PRIMARY SCHOOL:

My parents later traveled to the United Kingdom in 1957. My father became a law

student and my mother a student of a higher degree in Education, University of

Edinburgh. During this period we lived with our grandmother, Mrs. S.I. Megafu at

No. 7 Oguta Road Onitsha. Sarah Megafu was the first wife of Dum Daiki, the

Omodi of Onitsha. It was my grandmother who registered me in kindergarten class

in St Christopher’s Primary School, Onitsha. In my first days at school we had in my

class a severe ‘stammerer’. As I watched him talk, I assumed that stammering was

the normal way of talking and started copying him. I later became one of the worst

‘stammerers’ in the school despite all my grandmother’s effort to stop me. I thank

our Heavenly Father that I stopped stammering much later in Purdue University,

U.S.A. when I was pursuing a Ph.D. Degree. With God all things are possible.

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My grandmother brought us up well. She was a devout Christian and an active

member of Immanuel Church, Inland Town, Onitsha. I am delighted to write about

her. The documentary below was lifted from ‘Saints Triumphant’, a publication of

Immanuel Church, Onitsha, page 18:

Madam Sarah Ifenu Megafu was born about the year 1892 and died in February 1972 at the age of 80 years. She was a faithful Christian who dedicated her life to the service of God and humanity. She was a member of both Mothers’ Union and Diocesan Women’s Guild. She was a leader of Group 3 in the Church for many years. She was Immanuel Church delegate at the Diocesan Women Conference for many years…

My mother finished her course in 1959 and returned to Nigeria. My father qualified

as a lawyer and returned later. My days in St. Christopher were very uncomfortable.

I became a very quiet child because I found it extremely hard to talk, since I

stammered. My mother took over from where my grandmother stopped. We

continued to live at No. 7 Oguta Road but we had to move from my grand mother’s

house into ‘Elephant house’ owned by my late uncle, D.D. Megafu, Ononenyi.

‘Elephant House’ was one of the best houses in Onitsha then. It is still there.

My mother later became a civil servant with the Ministry of Education, Eastern

Nigeria, and was posted to Government School Uyo. My father had returned and

decided to practice law. Onitsha people at that time had a mania for the law

profession. If you were a mother and not referred to as ‘Nne Lawyer’ translating into

“mother of a lawyer”, you have really not arrived. Law was ‘Ebe ano!’...My father

died later in 1961 at the age of 39, my mother became a widow at the age of 35.

I continued my primary education in Uyo. It was in Uyo that my potential as a

brilliant child blossomed. My mother, then a class three teacher would always come

to Class I to take me so that I would explain difficult issues to her students, be it

Arithmetic or English. Apart from Uyo we lived in other towns. We accompanied

our mother to wherever she was posted. It was usual then to be transferred with or

without one’s consent. I was consequently a student in Government School Awka;

St. Paul’s Primary School Awka, and finally Methodist School Uwani, Enugu. My

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inability to talk however made me very quiet but brilliant. When offended, I would

be very angry and could throw stones.

I sat for my First School Leaving Certificate in elementary five but this would not

have been the case if my mother had not gotten a scholarship to study Social Work at

the Michigan State University. She had encouraged me to sit for the examination to

enable me secure admission into secondary school. I did not make a very good result.

In pervious examinations I was either 1st or 2nd.

THE SECONDARY SCHOOL:

My mother prepared for our going into boarding school and left for the Michigan

State University. She was consoled by the fact that with me and my brother in the

same school, I would be in safe hands.

My first year in Union Secondary School, Awkunanaw, Enugu was very difficult and

challenging. I tried all I could to adjust. I was determined to survive. My first and

second term results were very poor. My usual position was 54 out of 60. I was

relatively too young to be in secondary school.

My brother was among the first 18. He no doubt merited the A class. In those days

there were only two classes (A & B). Students in A were academically superior to

those in B. My house prefect, Japhet Ogbata, now a surveyor, from Udi, was worried

about my poor results. On questioning me, I told him I did all I could to pass,

including reading “till day break” (T.D.B,) but in vain. He then counseled me and

gave me important tips that would improve my performance. I thanked him and went

to work. That was a turning point in my academic life. The third term examination

proved it all. I successfully came within the first 10 and was promoted to class 2A.

Since then I have always found myself among the best students. My mother returned

from the U.S.A and joined in thanking God for my progress.

In my second year in Union Secondary School, the older boys organized a riot that

had the girls in the neighboring school beaten up. Following this ugly incident, there

was an identification parade in the boys’ school by the injured girls. A Divisional

Police Officer with his men and principal of the school, Mr. J.C Kong Dumabey

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conducted the identification exercise. Unfortunately, one of the girls thought she

recognized me. A big commotion started when all identified boys were told to enter

a ‘Black Maria’. Every other person obeyed the command except I, Ikechukwu

Ikeme, a little boy in class 2A. I strongly refused to comply.

This led to struggle between the principal and I. On intervention by the A.S.P

(Assistant Superintendent of Police) I explained that I was not part of the riot. My

proof was that the wife of the principal and a tutor in the school saw me hiding in a

bush, very close to the principal’s house. Names of the students who did not go to

the girls’ school were taken by the tutor. My name was the first on the list and my

brother’s name was the last. We were only ten boys. My mother had taught us well,

and my brother and I were good ambassadors. Praise God! That year and in the

subsequent years, even in different schools, I continually received school prizes for

the best well-behaved student and also for academic excellence.

ACADEMIC FOUNDATION:

Finishing my school certificate examination (WASC) - after the civil war, with a

division 1 (1971 ) as St. Anthony ‘s College Ubuluku’s best student, my academic

career in the University of Nigeria Nsukka started in September, 1972 when I was

admitted to study Animal Science. I graduated in June 1976, with Second Class

Upper Division. Prof. F.C. Obioha was my project supervisor and Prof. C.C. Nwosu

my mentor. My B.Sc. project was on the “Effect of Peletting and Varying Protein

Levels on Growth of Rabbits in the University of Nigeria Farm”. This research

focused on the use of meat from Rabbits in supplementing the other sources of meat

protein. I am happy to inform that this B.Sc thesis scored ‘A’ by an external

examiner from the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, was

publishable. Excepts from my work read:

An important point in favour of the domestic rabbit is that it compares favorably with the other meat-producing farm animals in its efficient conversion of feed into meat for human consumption. This characteristic would suggest the probability that the domestic rabbit can successfully serve as one of the sources of meat to the people of this country, especially as human population continues to increase and

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competes to a greater extent with the monogastric animals for the cereal grains. The rabbit meat is white, fine grained, delicately flavoured, nutritious and appetizing. It is high in meat protein (20.8%) and low in its fat and calorific content. Only about 20% of the dressed carcass is bone, so the meat yield is high compared with that of many meat animals. To reduce the present meat shortage in the country, the Federal Military Government imported chilled meat from Brazil. No doubt thousands of Naira was spent on this project. This was a step in the right direction. However the solution to our present meat shortage must come from within and not outside Nigeria. To quote the New Nigerian editorial of Tuesday, 14th October, 1975 on “Importing Meat” it said, “with the current annual cattle take-off rate of 9% as compared to the growth rate of less than 2%, our total cattle population of 8.5 million only will diminish to zero % by 1980 if we just rely on importation in order to conserve our herds of cattle.” We must therefore, find alternative and effective methods of increasing the production from the smaller farm animals, hence the need to pay attention to the rabbit industry. This will also be appreciated if it is remembered that the cash outlay for stock, housing and equipment is modest.”....

However, may I add for sake of our students that I would have read medicine or law

but was however incapacitated by a speech defect. Afraid of being an object of

ridicule, I decided to study Animal Science, where in my opinion the animals would

never realize the severity of my speech handicap. Prof C.C. Nwosu (then Dr. C.C.

Nwosu) had actually devoted his time organizing a speech therapy class to enable me

face my superiors and colleagues.

After my one year National Youth Service I proceeded to the United States for a

Masters Degree in Food Science in the University of Arkansas, Fayettville, in

September 1997. My research topic was on “The Effect of Nitrite Content and

Smoking on Yield, Shelf – Life and Palatability of Cornish Game Hens”. This

research was financially supported by Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

Our smoked chicken found its way in to the U.S market. Thanks to my supervisor

Dr. Tommy Goodwin and Tyson Foods. Excerpts from the thesis read:

Two experiments were conducted to determine effects of nitrite content and smoking on yield, shelf-life and

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palatability of Cornish Game Hens. Birds were either injected and soaked (A), soaked (B) or Injected (C) with a 6.98% pickeling cure before smoking. Cooking temperatures were 46oC for two 2 hours and 93oC for 5 additional hours. Smoke was generated for the last 5 hours. The percent (%) yield, nitrite content, salt content, rancidity development and palatability were determined. Growth of microbial population of cured and uncured smoked birds was monitored at 3oC and 25oC… General acceptability and flavor of white meat in treatment A was rated higher whereas dark meat from B was rated better. TBA values for the three treatments were not significantly different from each other. Data indicated smoked chicken could be stored at 3oC for 7 weeks. Percent yield for smoked chicken in the two experiments averaged 85%. Chicken from treatment A yielded the most desired product with meat from treatment C least acceptable.

In September 1979, I proceeded to Purdue University for a Ph.D degree in Food

Science. Purdue University is very highly rated. The slogan of the University

“Purdue Leads- others follow” fascinated me. Only two of us in the University of

Nigeria, Prof. C.C Okogbue and I, had the opportunity of being transformed in

Purdue University. My stay in Purdue was actually for a four year programme;

however, I obtained my Ph.D within two years (1979 -1981). My thesis topic was

“Extending The Shelf –Life of Chicken Broiler Meat with Minimal Refrigeration”.

In sum taking a close look at my thesis/ topics (B.Sc. – Ph.D) reveals that my interest

had centered on making life better for my people in Nigeria by making available

more protein for the masses. In reality, I have always focused on contributing my

quota to the upliftment of the community, nutritionally and otherwise. A healthy

Nation is a Wealthy Nation, they say. My goal then was undoubtedly to create a

healthy nation by making available animal protein, much needed for growth and

performance. Specifically my field of specialization is: Quality Evaluation,

Processing and Preservation of Meat, Fish, Poultry Meat, and Egg. Recently,

other areas have been added.

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CHAPTER THREE

CAREER IN THE UNIVERSITY

My career in the University will be discussed under four major headings.

RESEARCH/TEACHING

ADMINISTRATION

WEALTH CREATION (ENTREPRENEURSHIP)

PROFILE (SKILLS ACQUIRED)

RESEARCH/TEACHING

For the purpose of this Lecture I have focused our research on four main areas:

Quality Evaluation, Processing, and Preservation of:

Shell Eggs

Poultry Meat

Fish

Meat

SHELL EGGS – The Polyfunctional, Incredible Edible Egg.

Our Research on Eggs started in earnest on my arrival in Purdue University. A

Chicken Egg is a special kind of cell. It has a hard shell to protect the egg. The egg is

the most complete food available in nature. It is the most widely used natural

ingredient for food processing. Egg protein is of such high quality that it is used as

the standard by which other proteins are compared. Eggs have a biological value

(efficacy with which protein is used for growth) of 93.7%. Comparable values are

84.5% for milk, 76% for fish, and 74.3% for beef. Eggs are the best protein money

can buy, and they have many other valuable vitamins and minerals too.

The excellent nutritional profile of the incredible edible egg is summarized in Table

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Table 1: The Nutrient Content of a Large Egg.

NUTRIENTS WHOLE EGG ALBUMEN YOLK

Calories (Kcal) 75.00 17.00 59.00

Protein (g) 6.25 3.25 2.78

Total lipid (g) 5.01 0 5.12

Total carbohydrates (g) 0.6 0.3 0.3

Fatty acids (g) 4.33 0 4.33

Saturated fat (g) 1.55 0 1.55

Monounsaturated fat (g) 1.91 0 1.91

Polyunsaturated fat (g) 0.68 0 0.68

Cholesterol (mg) 213.00 0 213.00

Thiamin (mg) 0.031 0.002 0.028

Riboflavin (mg) 0.254 0.151 0.103

Niacin (mg) 0.036 0.031 0.005

Vitamin B6 (mg) 0.070 0.001 0.0069

Folate (mcg) 23.5 1.0 22.5

Vitamin B12 (mcg) 0.50 0.07 0.43

Vitamin A (IU) 317.5 0 317

Vitamin E (mg) 0.70 0 0.70

Vitamin D (IU) 24.5 0 24.5

Choline (mg) 215.1 0.42 214.6

Biotin (mcg) 9.98 2.34 7.58

Calcium, Ca (mg) 25 2 23

Iron, Fe (mg) 0.72 0.01 0.59

Magnesium, Mg (mg) 5 4 1

Copper, Cu (mg) 0.007 0.002 0.004

Iodine, I (mg) 0.024 0.001 0.022

Zinc, Zn (mg) 0.55 0 0.52

Sodium, Na (mg) 63 55 7

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Energy Value of Eggs

A medium egg has an energy value of 78 kilocalories (324 kilojoules) and the

consumption of one egg daily would contribute only around 3% of the average

energy requirement of an adult man; 4% for an adult woman. With their significant

protein, vitamin and mineral content and relatively low saturated fat content; eggs

are a valuable component in a healthy diet.

Protein

Eggs are an excellent source of protein. Egg protein is of high biological value as it

contains all the essential amino acids needed by the human body. Eggs therefore

complement other food proteins of lower biological value by providing the amino

acids that are in short supply in those foods. 12.5% of the weight of the egg is

protein and it is found in both the yolk and the albumen. Although protein is more

concentrated around the yolk, there is in fact more protein in the albumen. On the

evaluation scale most commonly used for assessing protein, egg is at the highest

point - 100, and is used as the reference standard against which all other foods

are assessed.

Vitamins

Eggs contain most of the recognized vitamins with the exception of vitamin C. The

egg is a good source of all the B vitamins, plus the fat-soluble vitamin A. It also

provides useful amounts of vitamin D, as well as some vitamin E.

Minerals

Eggs contain most of the minerals that the human body requires for health. In

particular eggs are an excellent source of Iodine, required to make the thyroid

hormone, and phosphorus, required for bone health. The egg provides significant

amounts of zinc, important for wound healing, growth and fighting infection;

selenium, an important antioxidant, and calcium, needed for bone and growth

structure and nervous function. Eggs also contain significant amount of iron, the vital

ingredient of red blood cells, but the availability of this iron to the body is uncertain.

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Carbohydrates and dietary fiber

Eggs contain only traces of carbohydrate and no dietary fiber.

Fat

11.2% of the egg content is fat. The fat of an egg is found almost entirely in the yolk;

there is less than 0.05% in the albumen.

Approximately 17% of an egg’s fatty acids are polyunsaturated, 44%

monounsaturated and only 32% saturated.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol and Lecithin are fat-like substances and are essential to the structure and

function of all cells in the body. Cholesterol helps to maintain the flexibility and

permeability of cell membrane and is also a raw material for the fatty lubricants that

help to keep the skin supple. Cholesterol is essential for the production of sex

hormones, cortisol, vitamin D and bile salts.

Lecithin is involved in general lipid transportation in the blood and in the

metabolism of cholesterol.

The polyfunctional nature of egg is better pictured below;

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Function Description

Adhesive Properties Adheres ingredients such as seeds and grains to food products.

Aeration and Structure Improvement Binding

Egg proteins create foam in products resulting in lighter and airier products.

Browning Provides desirable brown color to baked products Clarification Egg whites inhibit enzymatic browning and prevent

clouding in beverages. Coagulation and Gelation Egg white and yolk proteins change from fluid state to gel. Coating Locks in flavor and aroma. Color Xanthophylls pigments in egg yolk contribute yellow color

to many foods. Crystallization control Egg white protein prevents crystallization of sugar and

promotes smoothness of chocolate. Emulsification Phospholipids and lipoproteins serve as surface active

agents stabilizing oil in water emulsions. Finish/Gloss Used universally in baking to improve product appearance.

Egg wash gives surface gloss and shine. Flavor Carries and enhances some flavors, and imparts desirable

egg flavor. Freezability Improves texture and acceptability of products going

through freeze/thaw cycle. Humectancy Holds moisture in food products to help increase shelf life. Insulation Keeps products from turning soggy. Mouth feel Improvement Provides substantial body and smoothness to foods. pH Stable pH. Shelf Life Extension Keeps starch molecules moist and fresh. Tenderization Tenderies foods naturally giving a soft surface feel. Texture Improvement Firms up the texture of food products and provides crumb

improvement. Thickening Thickens sauces, gravies and adds body to achieve product

improvement.

The fact that is being highlighted today is now even more glaring, eggs can

perform more than twenty distinct functions in processing of food – many of

which can only be duplicated by substitute additives and ingredients.

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RESEARCH ON EGGS

Research on egg is a very important one, as the egg has been found to be a very

valuable food item. Its use in manufacturing can also not be overemphasized. Many

products claim to be egg replacers, but Polyfunctional Eggs cannot be replaced

with a single ingredient.

To duplicate the functions of eggs: aeration, emulsification, coagulation, and the

addition of color, and flavors, many ingredients have to be added to the ingredient

declaration. Eggs more importantly too, are natural. Consumers want to purchase

products containing wholesome natural ingredients. Our first research was published

in Poultry Science (1982) 61:388-391. The objective of this study was to determine

the technical feasibility of packaging hard cooked eggs in retortable pouches for

distribution through retail stores. Attempts have been made to preserve hard cooked

eggs by canning. A United States patent was issued to Trelease et al. (1952), but

eggs in cans did not become a common grocery store item. In 1977, some

merchandisers attempted to retail hard cooked eggs in clear plastic bags. Consumers

were interested but poor handling in the retail outlets and by consumers resulted in

bulged packages. The expanded bags were observed to be the result of gas

production by bacteria as well as expansion of air in the nonevaculated packages

when they were placed in warm environments.

In our Purdue Food Science Laboratory, peeled hard cooked eggs were held in .1

normal citric acid containing .2% sodium benzoate at 4oC for four days. Organic

acids or other chelating compounds such as phosphates were necessary to minimize

or eliminate discoloration on the yolk surface of many hard cooked eggs. The value

of chelating compounds in preventing ferrous sulfide discoloration in eggs was

confirmed by Gossett and Baker (1981). Ball and Saffones (1972) found that because

of slow acid penetration into the yolk, pH equilibrium of hard cooked eggs and

acidic solution took from 4 to 10 days. In our experiment, the eggs were packed in

sealed metal cans and in retortable pouches in a dilute organic acid. They were

retorted for 15 minutes at 121oC. Other eggs in retortable pouches were immersed in

boiling water for 15 minutes. The pouches were14cm by 17.5cm made from a Mylar,

aluminum foil, polypropylene laminate. The previously hard cooked eggs endured

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the stresses of retorting or immersion in boiling water with no detectable changes in

sensory characteristics.

Microbiological examination of thermally processed eggs after one week, four

weeks, three months, and five months storage at 4oC or 21oC gave no evidence of

growth of microorganisms. Hard cooked eggs can be packaged and thermally

processed without harm to sensory qualities. Such eggs would be merchandised with

or without refrigeration. It is worth mentioning that after several months’ storage at

21 or 38oC, the texture of the white canned eggs was the same as that of a freshly

boiled egg, the color of the white was a light tan when the eggs were stored for 30

days at 38oC or for eight months at 22oC. Flavor was comparable to a hard cooked

egg held for several days in a refrigerator but not to the flavor of a freshly cooked

egg. Yolk color was normal.

Microbiological evaluation of eggs stored in pouches after one week of storage

indicated no bacterial growth in any package irrespective of solutions or storage

temperature. After five months at 22oC storage, the color of albumen was

normal and flavor was not different from freshly packaged eggs. Acid solution

plus care to minimize contamination during pouch packaging resulted in non-

heat processed products keeping for over five months with no evidence of

spoilage. It is also important to mention that this work was supported in part by

a grant from the American Egg Board.

On return to Nigeria, in our Food Science Laboratories, we investigated on:

“Effects of oil treatment, storage temperature and duration on quality of shell eggs”.

Excepts from our publication in Nigerian Food Journal(1984) Vol.2, No.2, pg.162-

165, inform:

Quality deterioration of eggs is one of the biggest problem facing poultry farmers in the developing countries, especially in those locations with inadequate or no electric power supply. Cold storage, the most important single treatment which can be used for preserving eggs cannot be practiced widely in Nigeria and other developing countries because of prohibitive refrigeration cost and inadequate electric power supply. Eggs are usually held at

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room temperature and deteriorate in quality rapidly. These conditions emphasize the necessity for adoption of non-refrigeration methods for preservation of eggs. Previous workers, Swanson (1958) et al, Froning and Swanson (1964), Goodwin (1962), Sabrani and Payne (1978) and others using colorless, odorless, paraffin base mineral oils, reported improved keeping quality of eggs treated and stored under cold temperatures. Knowing very well that mineral oil may be unavailable in Nigeria and its importation may be a serious handicap to the ordinary Nigerian farmer, and considering cost and availability, locally available vegetable oil was used in this study. The study was conducted to investigate quality changes during storage of hens eggs treated with vegetable oil and stored at room and refrigeration temperatures…

High quality bleached and deodorized palm oil was used to study the effect of oil

treatment of shell eggs on the quality of eggs stored for thirty two days at 10oC or at

25-32oC. Shell eggs were dipped in oil for 60seconds, drained for 30 seconds and

then packed in egg crates for subsequent storage. Untreated eggs served as controls.

Quality parameters studied include yolk index, height of thick albumen pH of

albumen and weight loss of eggs. Oil treated eggs stored at 25-32oC and untreated

eggs stored at 10oC retained a high proportion of their initial albumen and yolk

quality and maintained an acceptable quality throughout the storage period.

Untreated eggs stored at 25-32oC showed a sharp decline in Haugh units and yolk

index and a marked increase in weight loss and pH of albumen.

The study indicated a sharp rise in pH of albumen between the zero and fourth day of

storage. The results of the study show that untreated eggs had the highest rise in pH.

The rise in pH is associated with chemical reactions. The drying of the egg cuticle,

the resulting increase in the calcium pores and the subsequent increased rate of

carbon dioxide loss from the albumen cause the breakdown of weak carbonic acid in

the albumen and supply more Co2. Since oil treatment seals the pores of the shell, pH

alteration in the albumen are checked due to arrest of Co2 escape. High pH levels are

associated with thinning of albumen and a decrease in the strength of the vitelline

membrane or a general decrease in egg quality.

In sum, we can confidently inform that oil treatment is an effective method of

preserving eggs under tropical ambient conditions. In further studies, we looked at

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the effect of oil treatment and storage temperature on some selected physical and

functional properties of shell eggs. As we tried to preserve the quality of shell egg

we are mindful of the fact that the polyfunctional egg may loose its ability to

function effectively. The importance of this study cannot be overemphasized. The

unique physico-chemical properties of egg account for the variety of roles that eggs

play in food preparation. In continuation of our study on the use of oil treatment as

method of preserving shell eggs, specific foam volume, drainage and emulsion

stability of oil treated eggs and untreated eggs stored for seven weeks at room (25-

30oC) and refrigeration (8-10oC) temperatures were determined as indicators of

functional properties. Yolk index and height of thick albumen were studied as

indicators of physical quality...

Foaming power is often attributed to low surface tension. This quality allows the

creation of a large surface which is essential to foaming. Elevation of temperature

results in lowering of surface tension. Thus albumen foams more and easily attains

greater volume at room temperature than at refrigeration temperatures, hence higher

foam volume recorded for untreated eggs stored at room temperature. High quality

egg-whites make the best cake because of their stable foams (low drainage). Oil

treatment apparently reduces foam stability.

POULTRY

In the Food Science Laboratory of University of Arkansas, precisely between 1977

and 1979 my colleagues and I worked on Improved Processing and Utilization of

Poultry Products. Sponsored by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, I

started and concluded an M.Sc. research on “Effect of Nitrite Content and Smoking

on Yield, Shelf life and Palatability of Cornish Game Hens.”

Our publication in Poultry Science (1979) 60: 679-682 informs: Carcasses were

either A) injected, B) soaked, or C) injected and soaked with a 6.98% pickling cure

before smoking. Cooking temperature were 46oC for two hours and 93oC for five

additional hours during which smoke was generated. Yield, nitrite content, salt

20

content, rancidity development and palatability were determined. Result of this

study revealed:

• Treatments influenced the juiciness, saltiness, flavor and general acceptability of white and dark meat. There were no differences in rancidity.

• Salt and nitrite content were higher in both white and dark meat from injected and soaked birds (Treatment C).

• Chicken from treatment C yielded the most desired product.

• Meat from treatment A (only injected) was least acceptable.

• Percent yield for smoked chicken averaged 88%

• Smoked chicken could be stored at 3oC for seven weeks without any deterioration from bacteria.

• Mold became a problem by the fourth week.

• Keeping quality of smoked chicken deteriorates rapidly if not refrigerated.

• For a 6.98% pickling cure as used in this study, chemical analysis indicate that nitrate content of meat from injected soaked birds average 83.42ppm, very well below the GRAS level (Generally Recognized As Safe).

Historically, the smoking of meat has been used to increase shelf-life. The smoking

process accomplishes this by introducing various bacteriostatic compounds, more of

which are aromatics, to the meat surface and also by drying the surface to some

extent.

While this is a desirable attribute, smoking as practiced in developed countries is

done primarily to flavor the product rather than to extend its shelf-life.

Collaborating with Prof. C.C. Nwosu of the Department of Animal Science, I

ventured into genetics and animal breeding. Two studies were carried out in this

regard:

Meat evaluation of the Nigerian local chickens and their crosses.

Effects of Genotype, Age and Egg size on measures of shell quality of local and crossbred hens.

Whereas, previous workers compared local and exotic in respect of meat yield our

research had the major objective of evaluating the meat potential of crossbred

21

cockerels. The results of the research revealed that Genetic Stock significantly

(P<0.01) influenced eviscerated weights. The mode of inheritance of carcass yield

judging from the performance of the crossbred groups indicates additive effect of

genes. In sum, results of this study show that the crossbreds were improved only

in breast meat thereby indicating that the exotic chicken has greater use in the

development of the meat potential of the breast muscle of the local chicken. The

crossbred superiority also confers much commercial utility to the indigenous

fowl. Results from the second collaborative research reveal that the local chicken

favourably competed with the other improved groups, including the exotic in shell

thickness and as such it does not need improvement in shell thickness but in egg size.

FISH

On arrival at University of Nigeria, Nsukka in January 1982, I was assigned to teach

fish technology, an area that I had previously received no formal training. In my

usual manner of accepting challenges, I embarked on this task only to find out that

herein lies the goldmine. I am happy to inform this August assembly that 75% of the

publications used in accessing me to the rank of Professor of this esteemed

University is on Processing, Preservation and Quality Evaluation of Fish: My active

participation in “pices arena” gave me the opportunity of presenting papers during:

Ninth Annual Conference of the Nigerian Society of Animal production, held at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, March 25-29, 1985.

FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Lusaka, Zambia, January 21-25, 1985.

Workshop on Post-Harvest food losses and their control. Centre for Rural Development and Cooperatives, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, April 14-22, 1986.

A two week National Training course for Fish Farmers and Extension Staff. Centre for Rural Development and Cooperatives, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, January 11-12, 1988.

FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire, April 25-28, 1988.

FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Accra, Ghana, October 22-25, 1991.

22

FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Cairo, Egypt, 1991.

FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Kijimu, Kenya, August 26-31, 1996.

For my hard work, The Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations

(FAO) accepted me as a consultant and recognized University of Nigeria, Nsukka as

a Centre of Excellence. Indeed FAO financed some of these researches. University

of Nigeria, Nsukka through the Senate Research Grant was very valuable and

supportive and indeed financed my first research, published in 1985, which served as

a stepping stone to our other researches.

In my studies on fish I collaborated with many of my colleagues and assisted in

bringing them on board the “FAO Train”. The list is endless but include:

Mosumola Carew, then my student (1984-1985)

Dr. (Mrs.) A.C. Uwaegbute

C.S. Bhandary

Prof. Zak A. Obanu

Dr. R.I.N. Awachie

Prof. H.C. Gugnani

Prof. J.O. Igene of University of Benin

Dr. O.J. Abolagba of University of Benin

Dr. T. Coker

M.O. Akabuike

Charles Ishiwu

Clement Diarua

Indeed in all my work (United States of America and Nigeria), I have always

adhered to the concept of being “equally yoked” as expected of God’s children as we

labour together for the benefit of all. A few of my studies need special mentioning:

Control of Lipid Oxidation in Smoked Mackerel by Hot Water Onion Extract.

23

Excerpt from this publication are contained herein:

“Fish lipids oxidation is an important factor lowering the quality of smoked fish, particularly during storage. The most commonly used antioxidants, such as butylated hydroxyl toluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyl anisole (BHA), are not readily available to the average Nigerian food processor. An experiment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a hot-water onion extract in controlling rancidity in smoked mackerel. The onion extract was prepared by boiling appropriate quantity of onion in water for five (5) minutes. The quantity of onion in these experiments was either 20 percent or 50 percent of onion in water w/w. After boiling the mixture is filtered and the liquid mixed with other components used for treatment. Results indicated that peroxide values of samples dipped in a solution composed of citric acid, potassium sorbate, sodium chloride and 50 percent hot-water onion extract did not significantly (p < .05) differ from those of samples dipped in a similar formulation composed of citric acid, potassium sorbet, sodium chloride and BHT. With regard to overall organoleptic acceptability, panelists did not find much difference in products dipped in the two different formulations at the end of an eight-week storage period. These experimental results show that the locally prepared 50 percent onion extract could be used in the treatment solution to retard the oxidation of smoked fish lipids to the same extent as does the important chemical antioxidant, butylated hydroxyl toluene…

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

...Fish is an extremely perishable foodstuff. In previous studies, Ikeme and Carew (1984) and Ikeme (1985) reported that citric acid – potassium sorbate – sodium chloride – BHT solution was effective in arresting fungal infection, bacterial decomposition and oxidative rancidity of high moisture (over 20% water) smoked mackerel (Scomber Sombrous). Synthetic compounds, such as BHT, BHA and propyl gallate, commonly used as antioxidants in food industries are not generally available. The widespread use of onion (Allium cepa) as a flavoring agent is well known. According to Arun et al. (1979), it is also known to have medicinal properties. As in many other countries, onions are often used in Nigeria as an added ingredient in many cooked foods. There is no report in the literature showing that vegetable products have been

24

successfully used to control lipid oxidation of foodstuffs stored at ambient temperature (25 – 30oC). This study was designed to provide such information…

“Characterization of traditional smoked-dried fish in Nigeria”

Excerpts from this publication are as follows:

“Traditional smoked-dried fish were obtained from a local market in Onitsha and from a production site at Asaba near the Niger River. They were organoleptically inspected for insect attack, mould infestation and tendency to fragment. Proximate composition and sodium chloride content were determined. Water activity and moisture content of stored samples were determined at 2-day intervals during a 4-week storage period. Results obtained showed that protein content of all fish samples ranged from 60% to 80%, fat 6% to 15%, moisture content 7% to19% and water activity 0.70 to 0.85. The research implicates Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, penicillion spp., Mucor spp., Rhizopus spp, and cladosporium spp, as some of the most likely genera of mould that cause spoilage of smoked dried fish…”

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

In previous FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa and indeed other

conferences, scientists in Africa have used to a greater extent the percentage of

moisture content as a basis for describing available water. In the last Expert

Consultation held in 1988 in Abidjan, all participants agreed that the use of water

activity (Aw) should be encouraged. Water activity (Aw) is the basic parameter used

to technically describe all the classic cured fish products (salted-dried, dried and

smoked) and to assess their stability regarding micro-organisms, enzymatic activity,

hydrolytic reactions and rancidity developments (Lupin, 1986). Within certain

limitations it also provides useful information about insect infestation (e.g. minimal

Aw for fly to lay eggs). The Aw is important because it gives a quick estimate on

safety, stability and problem associated with cured food. Extensive tables giving the

minimal Aw values at which deteriorative micro-organisms can develop have been

published (Lupin, 1986).

25

The idea of characterization of traditional smoked-dried fish in Nigeria is new. Not

much has been reported in this regard. Motawani (1970) reported that all the 160

species of fish identified in Niger-Benue system, 44 are commercially important.

These include Alestes spp., Arius spp., Auchenoglaria spp., Bagrus spp., Tilapia

spp., Citheridium spp., Lates spp., Gnathoremus spp.,Schilbe spp., Gymnarchus spp.,

Sardinella spp., Clarias spp., Ethmalosa spp., Heterosis spp., Chrysichthys spp.,

Clupisudis spp., Synodontis spp., ans Hhdrocynus spp,. Species in Kainji Lake are

very similar to those listed above except that, according to Turner (1971), the

Citharinidae especially Citharinus citharus tends to dominate the catch in most

seasons of the year. In Lake Chad the species are also much the same as in Kainji

and the Niger-Benue complex, but the individual fish tend to be much larger than

those in other areas.

The objective of this study are:

To determine the technical characteristics of traditional smoked-dried fish in Nigeria. In particular the proximate composition (protein, fat, water and ash), and the Aw.

To determine the degree of insect attack, mould infestation and tendency to fragment.

To utilize the result obtained to rationalize the knowledge on smoked-dried fish for training purposes.

Results

The results obtained are shown in Tables 1 to 4. Insects were not observed in freshly

smoked-dried fish. Insects appeared later during storage, transit or in the market.

The degree of fragmentation of the traditional smoked-dried fish is a function of the

level of moisture in them. The higher the moisture content of the fish the lower the

degree of fragmentation. As a result, freshly smoked-dried samples from the

production site with higher moisture contents have relatively less tendency to

fragment than the market samples that have lost much moisture, particularly due to

re-drying by the traders. Maintaining high moisture content in the products counters

fragmentation, although the fish would be readily attacked by moulds.

26

The proximate composition and sodium chloride contents of the traditional smoked-

dried fish samples both depend on the degree of dryness of these fish.

Quantitatively, they are inversely related to moisture and also vary with species of

fish.

Provided they are freshly smoked-dried and intermittently re-dried, it is rare to

observe mould growth visually on smoked-dried fish from the production site and

even from the market. However, when freshly smoked-dried fish with high moisture

content are stored under ambient conditions, mould growth becomes the major cause

of spoilage. The moulds identified provide an indication of the genera most likely to

be responsible for the spoilage of smoked-dried fish.

Conclusion

The data on Aw provides better criteria for assessing the stability of the smoked-

dried product. Moulds grow on products with Aw as low as 0.70. The determination

of Aw using a filament hygrometer is less cumbersome and the results are more

reliable when compared to moisture content. There is a need to characterize all

commercially important species and also to conduct this research in various parts of

the country at different seasons of the year.

27

Table 1: Proximate composition, sodium chloride content and water activity of

traditional smoke-dried fish samples obtained from the production site.

Species % Protein % Fat % Ash % NaCl %H2O AW

ChryPstchtys nigrodigitatus

Clarotes lacticeps

Alestes nurse

Synodontis Clarias

Dischodus rustratus

Hyperopius bebeoccidentials

Lates niloticus

Labio senegalensis

Clarias lazera

Tilapia nilotica

Ethmalosa dorsalis

Heterotis niloticus

Gymnarchus niloticus

Channa obscura

Hepsetus odoe

Malapterus electricus

Citharinus citharus

Bagrus bayad

Pseudotolithus senegalensis

Protopterus annectens

63.85(73.91)

65.96(74.61)

61.06(71.22)

62.41(69.39)

64.40(71.10)

67.90(74.40)

68.40(76.20)

66.60(71.70)

67.86(77.50)

70.05(80.33)

69.69(79.92)

69.69(78.48)

59.81

58.58

59.00

56.83

64.27

65.32

62.52

68.65

11.86(13.73)

12.15(13.74)

13.75(16.04)

12.94(14.39)

10.00(11.00)

8.00(8.80)

14.00(15.60)

12.00(12.90)

12.98(14.83)

12.85(14.74)

13.95(16.00)

12.30(13.85)

9.00

15.00

10.50

16.00

10.75

13.25

11.75

12.40

10.68(12.36)

11.95(13.52)

10.92(12.74)

12.60(14.33)

14.95(16.40)

14.45(15.90)

15.00(16.70)

12.72(14.50)

6.8

5.2

5.8

11.15

10.25

11.65

13.90

6.00

16.63

14.32

16.84

13.00

0.76

0.48

0.351

0.39

0.72

0.61

0.67

0.87

0.82

0.73

1.11

1.02

0.35

0.94

0.94

1.43

0.35

0.37

0.39

0.37

13.61

11.59

14.27

12.45

9.4

8.7

10.2

7.1

12.50

12.80

12.80

11.20

19.25

12.35

14.60

15.70

8.00

7.75

8.50

9.20

0.83

0.77

0.85

0.79

0.72

0.81

0.82

0.75

0.760

0.762

0.762

0.752

0.77

0.75

0.76

0.76

0.70

0.70

0.70

0.71

Figures between brackets: percentage expressed on dry weight basis

28

Table 2: Proximate composition, sodium chloride content and water activity of

traditional smoked-dried fish samples obtained from the market.

Species % Protein % Fat % Ash % NaCl %H2O AW

Chrysichtys nigrodigitatus

Clarotes lacticeps

Alestes nurse

Synodontis Clarias

Dischodus rustratus

Hyperopius bebeoccidentials

Lates niloticus

Labio senegalensis

Clarias lazera

Tilapia nilotica

Ethmalosa dorsalis

Heterotis niloticus

Gymnarchus niloticus

Channa obscura

Hepsetus odoe

Malapterus electricus

Citharinus citharus

Bagrus bayad

Pseudotolithus senegalensis

Protopterus annectens

71.01(77.24)

70.50(77.60)

78.90(87.30)

79.71(86.90)

69.60(74.40)

74.10(78.90)

70.90(76.80)

72.70(77.10)

79.00(89.24)

85.11(96.42)

73.73(84.26)

71.36(79.73)

70.76

60.51

60.505

59.64

62.52(72.70)

64.05(75.00)

60.86(72.41)

65.00(75.98)

10.50(11.42)

11.10(12.20)

14.70(16.30)

13.02(14.20)

12.50(13.40)

20.00(21.30)

10.50(11.40)

13.50(14.30)

8.60(9.71)

11.50(12.85)

13.15(15.03)

11.35(12.69)

8.00

9.00

9.75

5.75

6.48(7.54)

7.78(9.11)

7.10(8.45)

7.10(8.30)

10.73(11.70)

11.51(12.70)

10.62(11.80)

12.25(13.40)

11.67(12.60)

12.77(13.70)

15.90(17.20)

12.90(13.70)

7.20

5.30

6.00

12.68

6.98

9.33

8.50

8.43

14.90(17.33)

12.70(14.87)

13.80(16.42)

11.05(12.92)

0.983

0.624

0.551

0.761

0.99

0.72

0.95

0.63

0.64

1.11

1.11

0.79

0.73

0.67

1.73

1.46

0.35

0.37

0.40

0.37

8.06

9.15

9.62

8.32

6.53

6.10

7.70

5.65

11.48

10.50

12.50

10.50

7.85

8.35

8.28

8.13

14.00

14.60

15.95

14.45

0.60

0.64

0.65

0.63

0.67

0.68

0.67

0.67

0.75

0.75

0.76

0.75

0.65

0.78

0.74

0.76

0.74

0.74

0.75

0.74

29 Table 3: Effect of storage on H2O content and water activity of the fish

Day and relative

humidity of the air

Chrysichthys

Nigrodigitants

Nigrodigitantus

Clarotes

laticeps

Alestes nurse Synodontis

clarias

Dischodus

rustratus

Hyperopius

bebeoccidentalis

Lates niloticus Labeo

senegalensis

Clarias lazera

Tilapia

nilotica

Day %RH %H2O AW %H2O AW %H2O AW %H2O AW %H2O AW %H2O AW %H2O AW %H2O AW %H2O AW %H2O AW

1

3

5

7

9

11

13

15

17

19

21

23

85

92

85

72

85

87

93

80

81

73

78

78

24.25

22.14

21.90

18.26

16.30

20.15

15.35

17.40

14.60

13.75

13.20

13.20

0.88

0.86

0.85

0.83

0.82

0.84

0.80

0.81

0.79

0.77

0.76

0.76

15.80

15.51

13.19

12.11

11.62

13.50

11.23

11.98

11.00

10.95

10.71

10.71

0.79

0.78

0.77

0.76

0.75

0.78

0.75

0.76

0.74

0.73

0.73

0.73

23.10

22.42

21.30

17.20

14.15

17.32

13.20

15.00

12.60

11.95

11.30

11.30

0.85

0.84

0.83

0.81

0.79

0.82

0.78

0.79

0.77

0.76

0.75

0.75

20.40

19.46

19.19

18.60

17.72

19.80

15.40

16.36

13.42

11.05

10.95

10.95

0.81

0.80

0.79

0.78

0.77

0.79

0.76

0.77

0.75

0.74

0.73

0.73

20.81

20.62

20.34

19.94

19.65

19.25

18.84

18.40

18.01

17.62

16.77

16.09

0.79

0.80

0.81

0.80

0.79

0.78

0.77

0.76

0.76

0.75

0.74

0.74

22.20

22.41

21.94

21.58

21.51

20.88

19.62

19.88

18.77

18.39

17.84

17.56

0.80

0.81

0.82

0.82

0.83

0.82

0.81

0.80

0.79

0.78

0.78

0.77

23.52

23.44

22.2

22.76

22.34

21.49

21.09

20.65

19.84

19.01

18.81

17.32

0.81

0.82

0.84

0.84

0.84

0.83

0.82

0.82

0.80

0.79

0.80

0.79

19.98

19.89

19.36

18.61

18.09

17.56

17.21

16.97

15.55

15.82

15.03

14.88

0.79

0.79

0.78

0.77

0.77

0.76

0.75

0.74

0.73

0.73

0.72

0.72

24.80

24.35

24.20

24.10

24.00

23.50

23.02

22.45

22.20

20.10

19.20

18.44

0.86

0.85

0.81

0.77

0.76

0.74

0.75

0.72

0.72

0.72

0.71

0.70

23.20

23.50

23.60

23.42

23.39

23.30

23.30

22.51

22.01

19.72

18.43

17.70

0.79

0.80

0.78

0.77

0.74

0.73

0.73

0.73

0.73

0.73

0.72

0.72

Ethmalosa

dorsalis

Heterotis

niloticus

Gymnarchus

niloricus

Channa obscura Hepsetus odoe Malapterus

electricus

Citharinus

citharus

Bagrus

bayad

pseudotolithus Protopterus

annectens

1

3

5

7

9

11

13

15

17

19

21

23

85

92

85

72

85

87

93

80

87

73

78

78

17.15

18.14

20.58

21.68

20.76

20.08

19.35

18.99

18.80

18.35

17.00

17.00

0.72

0.72

0.74

0.72

0.73

0.73

0.73

0.73

0.72

0.72

0.72

0.72

17.30

17.42

17.52

17.59

18.02

27.75

18.06

17.70

17.43

17.30

17.20

17.18

0.73

0.73

0.74

0.74

0.74

0.75

0.74

0.73

0.74

0.73

0.73

0.73

19.25

22.75

22.15

22.15

21.75

18.15

15.65

13.15

10.65

10.15

9.40

9.15

0.77

0.81

0.80

0.82

0.82

0.78

0.77

0.76

0.75

0.74

0.73

0.73

20.90

23.30

22.90

21.90

21.90

16.90

14.80

12.65

11.95

10.90

9.90

9.60

0.80

0.82

0.84

0.84

0.83

0.80

0.77

0.76

0.75

0.74

0.72

0.71

19.80

22.55

21.35

21.35

21.35

20.50

14.80

18.25

17.75

16.65

16.15

16.60

0.78

0.84

0.83

0.83

0.84

0.82

0.77

0.80

0.79

0.76

0.74

0.71

21.85

24.00

23.25

23.25

22.25

20.75

20.00

18.40

17.90

17.35

16.80

16.70

0.76

0.84

0.84

0.83

0.82

0.82

0.82

0.81

0.80

0.79

0.77

0.76

24.72

22.70

22.75

22.70

23.94

21.98

18.90

20.35

22.75

20.20

17.00

15.45

0.84

0.82

0.82

0.84

0.82

0.80

0.81

0.82

0.80

0.78

0.77

0.78

25.13

21.00

21.00

21.50

21.70

23.20

20.60

21.65

19.50

20.00

19.50

16.80

0.85

0.81

0.82

0.83

0.85

0.82

0.80

0.80

0.80

0.78

0.75

0.78

23.80

23.75

24.00

23.21

25.96

24.35

21.00

20.50

20.90

18.98

20.75

17.00

0.84

0.83

0.84

0.84

0.85

0.81

0.80

0.81

0.81

0.79

0.81

0.77

25.30

25.35

22.00

20.93

21.95

21.95

20.01

19.65

20.43

18.50

19.95

19.20

0.85

0.85

0.83

0.82

0.82

0.82

0.81

0.79

0.80

0.79

0.75

0.78

30

Fish species Moulds identified

Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus Clarotes laticeps Alestes nurse Synodontis clarias Dischodus rustratus Hyperopius bebeoccidentalis Lates niloticus Bagrus bayad Pseudotolithus senegalensis Protopterus annectens

Rhizopus spp Penicillium spp Aspergillus rubber Aspergillus niger Aspergillus candidus Aspergillus candidus Aspergillus ustus Penicillium spp Penicillium spp Aspergillus fumigatus Aspergillus nidulans Aspergillus wntii Rhizopus spp

Aspergillus niger Aspergillus flavus Cladosporium spp

Aspergillus niger Rhizopus spp Penicillium spp Mucor spp Penicillium spp Aspergillus fumigants

Table 4: Mould Identification

Fish species Moulds identified

Labeo senegalensis

Clarias lazera Tilapia nilotica Ethmalosa dorsalis Heterotis niloticus Gymnarchus niloticus

Channa obscura Hepsetus odoe Malopterus electricus Citharinus citharus

Aspergillus candidus Penicillium spp Rhizopus spp Penicillium spp Aspergillus candidus Rhizopus spp Rhizopus spp Penicillium spp Aspergillus ruber Aspergillus candidus Rhizopus spp

Mucor spp Aspergillus spp Penicillium spp Aspergillus fumigants Mucor spp Rhizopus spp

31

“Use of pesticides in cured fish in Nigeria”

Excerpt from our publication inform:

“Fish is one of the most important food staples on the planet. Its flesh is a source of top quality protein especially in the less developed parts of the world where it represents a significant proportion of the animal protein in their diet, either as fresh fish or cured in a variety of ways such as smoking, salting and drying. A pervious study in Nigeria showed that fish is also the cheapest source of animal protein (Ikeme & Uwaegbute, 1986, Unpublished). Unfortunately, however, fish is one of the most perishable of all staple commodities, and in the tropical climates of most developing countries it will become unfit for human consumption within one day of capture, unless it is subjected to some form of processing (Ames et. al. 1991). Even after the fish has been processed, particularly if traditional methods have been employed, the fish is still subject to many forms of loss and spoilage.

The National Research Council commission on International Relations in

(1978) for instance estimated that 3 million tones per year (wet weight

equivalent) of dried fish were lost world-wide. This according to Bostock et.

al. (1987) is 25% of the quoted total annual production of dried fish of 12

million tones (wet weight equivalent). In addition, an estimated 2 million tones

per year of fresh fish are lost; this represents 10% of the global consumption.

In simple terms, losses are caused by the fish being exposed to various sources

of damage. Damage starts as soon as the fish dies and will progress either until

the source is eliminated, or until the fish is entirely destroyed. The major

sources of damage commonly observed are insect infestation, microbiological

contamination and fragmentation.

However, insect infestation during drying and storage of fish in the tropics

leads to substantial losses; some estimates are as high as 50% (Proctor, 1977).

In Nigeria, for example Osuji (1977) reported an estimated 30 – 50% loss in

weight of cured fish from Lake Chad area. In addition to causing losses in

quality and quantity, insect pest have been reported to be potential carriers of

32

pathogenic bacteria and thus represent a serious health hazard, (Watanabe and

Cabrita, 1971).

Due to the heavy losses incurred by fish processors and retailers of cured fish

products (such as salted/dried fish, smoked/dried fish and smoke fish), several

means of cutting down on these losses have been devised. Prominent among

the method is the use of pesticides known as “chemical method”. Even though

there is an official government ban on the use of chemicals (pesticides) it is

believed that fishermen and fish processors employ the use of chemical for the

catching and preservation.

METHODOLOGY

Field survey was undertaken to selected production and marketing centres in

Nigeria. These were, Niger, Borno, Benue and Edo State where well

structured questionnaires were administered and Focus Group Discussion

(FGD) held with the consumers, producers and retailers, in the various zones.

Various Zones:

Zone 1: Niger-Benue Zone comprising the fish marketing and processing centres in Kwara, Niger and Benue State.

Zone 2: The North-East Zone comprising the fish marketing and processing centres in Borno State.

Zone 3: The Edo State Zone comprising the fish marketing and processing centres in Edo State. The quantitative comprehensive for the first three zones combined is regarded as Zone 4.

Fish samples were also purchased from each of the centres for quantitative and

qualitative laboratory analyses of pesticide residues using gas chromatography,

thin layer chromatography and paper chromatography.

33

REPORT OF OBSERVATION ON FIELD SURVEY TO MAJOR FISH

PROCESSING AND MARKETING CENTRES IN NIGERIA

Zone 1: STATE: KWARA

TOWN: JEBBA

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA: MORO

At the Jebba Market, it was observed that cured fish processors and

retailers do not appear to use chemicals to preserve their cured fish

displayed for sale. Discussions held with them however revealed that they

were aware that chemicals may be used by some processors and fishermen.

They contended that fish killed or processed with chemicals usually

releases bubbles when undergoing cooking and normally floats at the

surface instead of sinking to the bottom of the pot. There was a consensus

among the retailers about ways to identify cured fish treated with chemicals.

They stated that cured fish treated with chemicals are usually lighter in weight

when compared to the cured fish that is free from any form of chemical. This

is not surprising as fish that is already undergoing spoilage is more likely to be

treated with chemicals to arrest the attack by insects or check spoilage, since

spoilage is usually accompanied by weight loss. Fish samples were later

randomly purchased for analysis.

STATE: NIGER

TOWN: TATABU

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA: BIDA

Processors of fish were observed to be curing fish without the use of any

sort of chemical or table salt. They informed the researchers that

consumers usually decline to buy fish cured or killed with chemicals as

soon as it is detected either by smell or taste; thus they desist from its use.

When they were asked how they prevent flies and beetles from attacking and

destroying their cured fish, they responded that proper smoking is done after

gutting and thorough washing of the freshly caught fish.

34

The processors and retailers were found to be aware of government ban with

respect to the use of chemicals, hence the fear by majority of them to confirm

it’s use. Private discussions with two of the processors revealed that some of

their husbands who are mainly fishermen use Gammalin 20 to catch fish.

Asked why their husbands resorted to its use: they responded that it was due to

the high cost of fishing gears and equipment.

STATE: NIGER

TOWN: NEW BUSSA

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA: BORGU

At the Kainji Lake Research Institute, the researchers had a discussion

with a chief research officer in Fish post-harvest and processing

technology unit. He confirmed the use of Gammalin 20 on the Kainji

Lake in the past, but stressed that its use has virtually stopped now though

there might still be isolated cases of its use which the authority of the

research institute may not be aware of.

A locally made pesticide called “Otapiapia” was also stated by the officer to be

used specially by the cured fish mongers who transport fish from Kainji to the

distant Southern markets for sale. This pesticide is reportedly sprinkled in the

cartons before loading them with cured fish. Some fish mongers were said to

add few drops directly onto the cured fish in the cartons. Lastly, he contended

that the Institute encourages the fish processors and retailers to use pirimiphos

methyl (Actellic) up to 10 percent concentration which they have found to be

effective against beetles (Dermestes maculates) for up to three months and has

low mammalian toxicity.

STATE: NIGER

TOWN: FAKUN (at the foot of the Kainji Dam)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA: BORGU

The processors here were observed not to use chemicals during or after

processing. They gut their fishes, cut them into chunks while the smaller ones

35

wee smoked whole. The traditional smoking kilns were built with mud having

an open top and firing points at the base (a typical chorkor smoker). Wire

gauze is then placed at the top on which fish to be smoked are spread.

Investigations on how they ensure that insects do not attack their cured fish

products showed that they do thorough smoking and re-smoke when necessary.

The processors here also informed the researchers that they do not make use of

salt for preservation as there was no need for that since they smoke their fish

very well. It should be noted that fish is smoked in chunks, resulting in better

drying.

The marine police-man stationed at this settlement categorically confirmed that

no form of chemical was being used in Fakun either for fishing by fishermen

or for preservation by the fish smokers.

STATE: BENUE

TOWN: MAKURDI

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA: MAKURDI

The fishermen on the river Benue were observed fishing with nets, hooks

and traps, without the use of chemicals. Discussions with them showed that

they were aware of government ban on the use of chemicals and explosives to

fish. The processors and retailers at the market stated that they use

Aerosols e.g., Sheltox, to spray the cured fish in order to prevent insect

invasion. Apart from those who admitted that they use Sheltox others said

they use kerosene to ward off flies, sprinkling it slightly on the cured fish and

the surroundings. Some of the retailers denied the use of chemicals,

contending that proper and persistent smoking normally checks insect attack

and spoilage.

Zone 2 STATE: BORNO

TOWN: MAIDUGURI

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA: METROPOLITAN

36

Discussions with fish processors and retailers revealed that a locally made

pesticide known as “Otapiapia” is widely used here to ward off insects and

beetles from cured fish. The pesticide is mixed with water and sprinkled on

both the cured fish and the cartons used in packaging the product. This

confirmed the earlier report in the Kainji Lake Research Institute.

The bulk of the cured fish sold in southern Nigeria comes from the Lake

Chad in Borno State, so the significance of the use of this pesticide to

preserve cured fish could well be appreciated in relation to the health of

fish consumers in the south.

Processors use the drum smoker here mainly and naturally sun-drying and fish

may or may not be salted. Majority of the processors practice whole

smoking which means that no gutting is done and this could readily

predispose the fish to rapid spoilage and insect attacks necessitating the

use of a preservative. It was also observed that the retailers often rub oil on

the surface of cured fish. It was however suspected that they may mix oil with

the “Otapiapia” and later coat the surface of the cured fish with it hence the

absence of flies on the fish.

STATE: BORNO

TOWN: DORO BAGA

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA: BAGA

Doro Baga is a major market for cured fish in Nigeria. A custom officer

asserted that on the average 5 – 9 trucks of the Mercedes Benz 911 model

load cured fish for the southern markets every Wednesday which is the

main market day; although fish sales take place on other days albeit on a

much smaller scale.

Here, the secretary of the fish mongers association confirmed that they use

“Otapiapia” to spray the cartons used in packaging to prevent flies and

beetles from causing damage to the cured fish. He further revealed that

37

Gammalin 20 is usually mixed with large volume of water and used to

spray the cured fish and the carton used for packaging.

Discussions with other processors and retailers revealed that they use oil

and salt mixed with water to coat the cured fish. However, on tasting

their products, no trace of salt was detected. This means that something

else which they were not ready to disclose was used to preserve the cured

fish.

ZONE 3 STATE: EDO

TOWN: ILLUSHIN

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA: ESAN NORTH EAST

Processors and retailers were observed not to use chemicals to preserve fish.

Discussion with them showed that they were mostly ignorant of the use of

chemicals on cured fish. Asked about their practices that enable the cured fish

products last longer, they contended that they do thorough smoking and repeat

the process as and when necessary. This centre forms the major fresh and

cured fish market of the fish consumed in Edo State and beyond.

ANALYSIS OF QUESTIONNAIRE

A total of two hundred and fourteen (214) respondents returned the

administered questionnaires for all the zones. However, only one hundred and

eighty-nine (189) were found to be useful for analysis.

CONSUMERS/FISH CONSUMPTION

For all the zones (comprehensive for the zones 1-3) seventy-five respondents

or 39.7% indicate they consume fish everyday, while only four or 2.1%

indicated that they do not consume fish at all. In the Edo Zone 68.4%

consume fish everyday while it was 58.33% in Niger/Benue Zone and only

24% for the North East Zone.

38

QUANTITY OF FISH CONSUMED/KG/WEEK

Sixty-nine or 36.5% of the respondents out of 189 consume between 0 to

1.5kg/wk for all the zones. The consumption figure for the Edo Zone was

however highest where 26 respondents out of 54 or 48.1% consumed

between 1.6 – 3.0kg/wk while 46% consumed 1.6 – 3.0kg/wk in the

Niger/Benue Zone. Only 27.2% of the respondents in the North East Zone

consumed between 1.6 – 3.0kg/wk of cured fish.

OBSERVATION OF CHEMICALS

A total of 73 (38.6%) of the 189 respondents from all zones indicated that

they have observed cured fish preserved with chemicals; while 116

(61.4%) reported that they have never observed its use.

BOTHERED ABOUT CURED FISH SMELLING CHEMICALS

In all the zones 131 (69.3%) of the respondents said they were bothered

about cured fish smelling chemicals. However, in Edo Zone only 37.3%

seemed to be bothered. This could be linked to the fact that most of the

respondents have no idea about the use of chemicals on cured fish.

In the North East Zone, the level of awareness made about 82% of the

respondents to be bothered about cured fish smelling chemicals. In the

Niger/Benue Zone 83% of the respondents were concerned about the use of

chemicals in cured fish.

STEPS TAKEN TO SELECT CURED FISH

The consumers generally select cured fish to be purchased by smell and taste in

all the zones except in Niger/Benue. In the event of purchasing cured fish that

contain chemicals in error, respondents’ negative reactions from all the zones

could be seen.

39

RETAILERS QUANTITY OF CURED FISH SOLD PER DAY (KG)

The levels of cured fish sold per day are illustrated wherein the majority of

retailers sell at least 30kg cured fish a day. The highest quantity of cured

fish sold per day occurred in the North East Zone where 17.5% of the

respondents made sales of between 31 – 40kg.

MONETARY VALUE OF CURED FISH SOLD PER DAY

In all the zones about 66% of the 91 respondents sold fish valued between

N500 – N3,000/day. However, in the North East and Niger/Benue Zones

about 20% of the retailers sold above N3,000/day.

OBSERVATION OF CHEMICALS IN CURED FISH BY RETAILERS

In North East Zone, a total of 20 (43.4%) respondents indicated to have

observed cured fish containing chemicals; while in the Niger/Benue Zone, it

was 80% of the retailers and respondents and in the Edo Zone, none of the

retailers had observed its use. However, for all the zones combined, a total of

25 retailers have observed cured fish to contain chemicals.

BOTHERED ABOUT CURED FISH SMELLING CHEMICALS

Due to the fact that a high percentage of the retailers in the North East and

Niger/Benue Zones have observed cured fish containing chemicals, they

equally are bothered about its use. The Edo retailers however appear not to be

too bothered since they have not observed the use of chemicals. On a national

average 50% of the respondents are bothered.

AWARE THAT FISH PROCESSORS MAY USE CHEMICALS

Most of the retailers in North East and Niger/Benue Zones are aware that fish

processors may use chemicals. Only 15 or 32.6% of the 46 respondents in Edo

zone said they were aware about the use of chemicals by fish processors. In

all the zones combined 45.8% of the respondents answered in the

affirmative.

40

STEPS TO PREVENT ATTACK BY INSECTS AND RODENTS

In all the zones only 4% of the retailers indicated that they use chemicals to

prevent attacks by insects and rodents from destroying their cured fish. It is to

be noted however, that it was only in the North East and Niger/Benue Zones

that the use of chemicals were reported. The Edo Zone retailers indicated that

they would repeat the preservation process or ensure good storage to prevent

insect and rodent attacks on the cured fish.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The study showed that pesticides are used for the preservation of cured fish in

Nigeria. The survey equally revealed that the practice is prevalent in Northern

and Middle-belt Zones of the country where the use of such chemicals as

Gammalin 20, Aerosols (Sheltox) and a locally mixed pesticide called

“Otapiapia” and kerosene are freely used.

The level of awareness of the use of pesticides on cured fish by consumers and

retailers is high in the Northern Zone when compared to the southern zone

where little is known about its use. Some respondents didn’t bother about

pesticides in cured fish perhaps because of the saying that “what you don’t

know won’t hurt you”. Most consumers in Nigeria appear to be ignorant

about the adverse effects of pesticides in the food supply. It is important

for educators, government and food technologist in Nigeria to organize

relevant information for the benefit of consumers and fish processors to

provide the opportunities to limit the use of pesticides in cured fish. Most

consumers are ignorant of the use as well as the potential health risk

associated with pesticides in cured fish.

Consumption figures from all zones showed that 3.25kg/week is consumed on

the average by the respondents. Nevertheless, the figure from the

Niger/Benue Zone was highest at 3.89kg/wk followed by the South Zone

with 3.75kg/wk; and lastly the North East Zone with 2.45kg/wk.

41

The bulk of the fish cured in the Northern Zones find their way to the

Southern markets mostly. It therefore follows that the levels of pesticides

intake in the south would be expected to be quite high despite the fact that

its use is not rampant in the south.

Nigeria should strengthen regulation regarding ban on the use of obnoxious

chemicals as a preservative for fish; particularly the use of “Otapiapia” which

appears to be a local mixture which is deadly to roaches and rodents and could

be a potential risk to humans.

Further Research on Use of pesticides/Poisons by Nigerian Fishermen also

confirms that pesticide could be in use in catching fish in Nigeria. The

pesticide in use is a chlorinated hydrocarbon, known in Nigeria as Gammalin

20R.

To prosecute the study, fishermen and fish mongers in fishing areas in the East

(Port Harcourt) and west (Lagos Area) of the Niger River were interviewed.

The interviews revealed that although it was freely used in the past, the use of

Gammalin 20R is now banned mainly because it kills fishes of all ages. In

spite of its ban however, it could be deduced from statements made by

fishmongers and fishermen during interviews, that the pesticide is still

clandestinely used.

42

Figures 1 to 51 vividly illustrate our findings.

COMPREHENSIVE FOR ALL ZONES

CONSUMERS Fish Consumption Preference Respondents Everyday 75 Every other day 24 Once in 3 days 17 Once a week 19 Occasionally 50 Not at all 4 189

Everyday (39.7%)

Everyday other day (12.7%)

Once in 3 days

(9.0%)

Once a week (10.1%)

Occasionally (26.5%)

Not at all (2.1%)

Figure 1

43

SOUTH ZONE (EDO STATE)

CONSUMERS Fish Consumption Response Respondents Everyday 39 Every other day 5 Once in 3 days 3 Once a week 0 Occasionally 7 Not at all 3 57

Everyday (68.4%)


Once in 3 days (5.3%)Once a week (0.0%)


Figure 2

44

NIGER/BENUE ZONE

CONSUMERS Fish Consumption Response Respondents Everyday 7 Every other day 2 Once in 3 days 1 Once a week 1 Occasionally 0 Not at all 1 12

Figure 3

Everyday58.4%

Everyday other day16.7%

Once in 3 days8.3%

Once a week8.3%

Occasionally0.0%

Not at all8.3%

45

NORTH EAST ZONE (BORNO STATE)

CONSUMERS

Fish Consumption Response Respondents Everyday 29 Every other day 16 Once in 3 days 14 Once a week 18 Occasionally 44 Not at all 0 121

Figure 4

Everyday (24.0%)


Once in 3 days (11.6%)

Once a week (14.9%)


Not at all (0.0%)

46

Quantity of Fish Consumed/wk(kg) Consumption Quantity 0 – 1.5 69 1.6 – 3.0 24 3.1 – 4.6 17 4.7 – 6.2 19 Above 6.3 50 189

COMPREHENSIVE FOR ALL ZONESFigure 5

0 - 1.5 (36.5%)

1.6 - 3.0 (33.3%)

3.1 - 4.6 (10.6%)

4.7 - 6.2 (10.6%)

Above 6.3 (9.0%)

47

Quantity of Fish Consumed/wk(kg) Response Respondents 0 – 1.5 8 1.6 – 3.0 26 3.1 – 4.6 1 4.7 – 6.2 7 Above 6.3 12 54

SOUTH ZONE (EDO STATE)Figure 6

0 - 1.5 (14.8%)

1.6 - 3.0 (48.1%)3.1 - 4.6 (1.9%)

4.7 - 6.2 (13.0%)

Above 6.3 (22.2%)

48


NIGER/BENUE ZONEFigure 7

0 - 1.5 (18.2%)

1.6 - 3.0 (45.5%)

3.1 - 4.6 (0.0%)

4.7 - 6.2 (13.0%)

Above 6.3 (0.0%)

49


NORTH EAST ZONE (BORNO STATE)Figure 8

0 - 1.5 (51.8%)

1.6 - 3.0 (27.2%)

3.1 - 4.6 (7.0%)

4.7 - 6.2 (8.8%)

Above 6.3 (5.3%)

50

Observation of Chemical: Response Respondents Yes 73 No 116 189


Yes (38.6%)

No (61.4%)

51



Yes (48.8%)No (51.2%)

52



Yes (58.3%)

No (41.7%)

53



Yes (11.3%)

No (88.7%)

54

Bothered about Cured Fish

Smelling Chemicals: Response Respondents Yes 73 No 116 189


Yes (69.3%)

No (30.7%)

55




Yes (37.3%)

No (62.7%)

56



NO RT H EAST ZONE (BORNO ST ATE )Figure 15

Y es (81.6% )

N o (18.4% )

57



N IGER /B EN U E ZO N EFigure 16

Y es (83.3% )

N o (16.7% )

58

Awareness about Processors Using Chemicals: Response Respondents Yes 113 No 78 191


Yes (59.2%)

No (40.8%)

59



Yes (65.6%)

No (34.4%)

60


Ye s(75.0% )

No(25.0%)

N IG ER/BENU E ZO NEFigure 19

61

Steps taken to select cured fish: Response Respondents Visual observation 8 Smell + taste 29 All of above 19 56


Visual observation (14.3%)

Smell + taste (52%)

All of above (34%)

62

Steps taken to select cured fish: Response Respondents Visual observation 6 Smell + taste 22 Check for proper smoking 8 36



Smell + taste (61.1%)

Check for proper smoking (22.2%)

63




64




Smell + taste (66.7%)

All of above (26.7%)

65

If bought fish contains chemicals, what is your reaction: Response Respondents Return 38 Discard 51 Wash with cold water 7 Wash with warm water 39 Others 29 164

COMPREHENSIVE FOR ALL THE ZONESFigure 24

Return (23.2%)

Discard (31.1%)

Wash with cold water (4.3%)

Wash with warm water (23.8%)

Others (26.2%)

66


NORTH/EAST ZONE (BORNO STATE)

Return (15.0%)

Discard (22.4%)



Others (26.2%)

Figure 25

67


NIGER/BENUE ZONE

Figure 26

Return (33.3%)

Discard (33.3%)



Others (11.1%)

68

If bought fish contains chemicals, what is your reaction:

Response Respondents Return 18 Discard 18 Wash with cold water 0 Wash with warm water 6 Others 0 42


Return (42.9%)

Discard (42.9%)

Wash with cold water (0.0%) Wash with

warm water (14.3%)

Others (0.0%)

Figure 27

69

RETAILERS

Quantity of Cured fish sold per day(Kg): Quantity (Kg) Respondents 1 – 10 16 11 – 20 24 21 – 30 7 31 – 40 32 41 – 50 28 51 and Above 2 90

1 - 10 (25.6%)

11 - 20 (36.7%)

21 - 30 (22.2%)

31 - 40 (10.0%)

COMPREHENSIVE FOR ALL THE ZONESFigure 28

70

RETAILERS



1 - 10 (30.0%)

11 - 20 (22.5%)

21 - 30 (22.5%)

31 - 40 (17.5%)

41 - 50 (2.5%)

51 and Above (5.0%)

71

RETAILERS


Figure 30

1 - 10 (0.0%)

11 - 20 (80.0%)

21 - 30 (20.0%)

31 - 40 (0.0%)

41 - 50 (0.0%) 51 and Above (0.0%)

72

RETAILERS


Figure 31

1 - 10 (23.9%)

11 - 20 (45.7%)

21 - 30 (21.7%)

31 - 40 (4.3%)

41 - 50 (4.3%) 51 and Above (0.0%)

73

Monetary Value of Cured Fish sold per day (#): Amount (#) Respondents 100 – 500 20 501 – 1,000 18 1,001 – 1,500 20 1,501 – 2,000 9 2,001 – 2,500 6 2,501 – 3,000 7 Above 3,000 11 91

COMPREHENSIVE FOR ALL THE ZONES

Figure 32

100 - 500 (22.0%)

501 - 1,000 (19.8%)

1,001 - 1,500 (22.0%)

1,501 - 2,000 (9.9%)

2,001 - 2,500 (6.6%)

2,501 - 3,000 (7.7%)

Above 3,000 (12.1%)

74



Figure 33

100 - 500 (26.8%)

501 - 1,000 (14.6%)

1,001 - 1,500 (17.1%)

1,501 - 2,000 (7.3%)

2,001 - 2,500 (7.3%)

2,501 - 3,000 (7.3%)

Above 3,000 (19.5%)

75


NIGER/BENUE ZONES

Figure 34

100 - 500 (0.0%)

501 - 1,000 (40.0%)

1,001 - 1,500 (40.0%)

1,501 - 2,000 (0.0%)

2,001 - 2,500 (0.0%)

2,501 - 3,000 (0.0%)

Above 3,000 (20.0%)

76



Figure 35

100 - 500 (0.0%)

501 - 1,000 (40.0%)

1,001 - 1,500 (40.0%)

1,501 - 2,000 (0.0%)

2,001 - 2,500 (0.0%)

2,501 - 3,000 (0.0%)

Above 3,000 (20.0%)

77

Observed Cured Fish Containing Chemicals: Response Respondents Yes 20 No 26 46

NORTH EAST ZONES (BENUE STATE)

Figure 36

Yes (43.5%)

No (56.5%)

78


NIGER/BENUE ZONE

Figure 37

Yes (80.0%)

No (20.0%)

79



Figure 38

Yes (0.0%)

No (100.0%)

80


COM PREHENSIVE FOR ALL THE ZONES

Figure 39

Yes (25.5% )

No (74.5%)

81

Bothered about Cured Fish Smelling Chemicals: Response Respondents Yes 38 No 8 46


Figure 40

Yes (82.6% )

No (17.4% )

82


NIGER/BENUE ZONE

Figure 41

Yes (60.0% )

No (40.0% )

83



Figure 42

Yes (17.4%)

No (82.6%)

84



Figure 43

Yes (49.5%)No (50.5%)

85

Aware that Fish Processors may use Chemicals: Response Respondents Yes 24 No 21 45


Figure 44

Yes (53.3%)

No (46.7%)

86


NIGER/BENUE ZONE

Figure 45

Yes (100.0%)

No (0.0%)

87



Figure 46

Yes (32.6%)

No (67.4%)

88



Figure 47

Yes (45.8%)No (54.2%)

89

Steps to prevent attacks by Insects and rodents: Response Respondents Good storage 44 Repeat preservation process 25 Use chemicals 3 Others 3 75

C OM PREHENSIVE FOR ALL THE ZON ES

Figure 48

G ood storage (58.7% )

Use chem icals (4.0% )

Others (4.0% )

Repeat preservation process (33.3% )

90


NO RTH EA ST ZON E (BOR NO STA TE)

Figure 49

G ood storage (80.6% )

U se chem icals (6.5% )

Others (3 .2% )

Repeat preservation

process (9.7% )

91


NIG ER /BENUE ZO NE

F igure 50

G ood s to rage (40.0% )

Use chemicals (20.0% )

O thers (0.0% )

R epeat p reservation

p rocess (40.0% )

92

Steps to prevent attacks by Insects and rodents: Response Respondents Good storage 21 Repeat preservation process 21 Use chemicals 0 POthers 2 44

Go od storage (4 7.7 %)

R epeat pres ervation p roces s (4 7.7 %)

U se chem icals (0.0 %)

Others (4. 5% )

SOU TH Z ON E (E DO STAT E)

Figure 51

93

TEACHING

Learning and teaching are on going processes, and most times occur the same

time at the same place. To facilitate the active involvement of my students I

play the Coach, the Teacher and the Learner. I have indeed mentored my

students and continue to do so even after they have graduated. I am happy to

say that my students are occupying top management positions in various

organizations, nationally and internationally. To facilitate learning and enhance

efficiency and effectiveness in teaching I have to my credit many publications.

I am the author of “Meat Science and Technology- A comprehensive

approach”. This book, the first in my discipline, in West Africa is yet to be

replaced by any other one. Reviewed by Longman publishing company and

published in 1991 by Africana Fep. Publishers Limited, this text serves

effectively as class textbook, supplementary text or a Library Reference in

Nigeria Tertiary Institutions and Research Institutes.

In 1989 I pioneered the “birth” of the first Faculty book – “Challenges of

Agriculture in National Development (Edited by) A.I. Ikeme”. This

compilation is the first of its kind published by the Faculty of Agriculture,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka. This masterpiece with contributions from

professors and senior academics in our faculty and others is relevant at any

time “T”. My efforts have not been in vain. In Dec. 8, 2007 I received a

National Merit Award (MEDA 2007) as a successful teacher in the field of

agriculture. My other publications include:

“Saved by Grace, published by SNAAP PRESS limited in 2001”

“Adapting to changes” Better Living, Less Stress, published in June

2003, Ephrata Limited Nsukka”.

“Waiting on God” published in 2006, Black Belt Konsult, Limited

Enugu”.

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These publications have influenced my students and those who come across

them for the better.

I am also daily receiving my own training by actively involving my students in

the teaching and learning process. Today, I find it more comfortable to learn

than to be the teacher. It has not been easy. As I undergo my training which is

now a daily routine, I have acquired various skills. I earned PGD (Psychology)

from University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 2005, an M.Sc. in Psychology

(Leadership) from our great University has also concluded. In the last 2 years

(2006 – 2008) I have also received training in Entrepreneurship, Creativity and

Innovation from Nigeria and the United States of America (Creative Problem

Solving Institute - CPSI).

In summary, my teaching career which started in 1982 has produced company

executives, professors and the other members of the academia, business

tycoons, and in a Nigeria, full of surprises, bankers to mention only a few.

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CHAPTER FOUR

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE

Beginning in the mid eighties, my involvement in University Administration

started at the Faculty level, when I was appointed staff adviser to Nigerian

Association of Agricultural Students (NAAS). Shortly after I served as Hall

Warden Aja Nwachukwu Hall. In each of these assignments the interest of the

University, my Alma mater has been my priority. I have served, since the late

nineties as:

Associate Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (May 1998 – July, 2000)

Associate Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (September 2001 – August 2002)

Associate Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (August 2002 – August 2004)

Head Department of Food Science & Technology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (August 2002 – July 2004)

Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (July 2004 – July 2006)

Member, Governing Council, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (May 2005 - October 2007)

Member of Board, Energy Research and Development Center. University of Nigeria, Nsukka (May 2005 – 2007)

Member of Board, University of Nigeria General Enterprises Limited (May 2005 – 2007)

Executive Director, United Aid International – A Non-Governmental Organization Committed to Alleviating the Suffering of the Needy (2001 – Till Date)

Vice President, National Entrepreneurship Educators of Nigeria (2006 – Till Date)

Director, University of Nigeria Centre for Entrepreneurship and Development Research (August 2006 – Till Date)

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It hasn’t been very easy administering but it has been very exciting as a lot has

been learnt. In sum, I have always contributed positively towards the

advancement of our University. Two very important speeches I delivered as

Dean of Faculty of Agriculture bring to light my views:

CONTINUITY AND CHANGE AT THE FACULTY OF

AGRICULTURE OF UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

Paper delivered at the inaugural Faculty Board Held 7th September, 2004

- Prof. A.I. Ikeme, Dean of Agriculture

1.0 DOING FIRST THINGS FIRST

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the scholars and students who constitute

the academic powerhouse, that is, the faculty of Agriculture of a great

University, I salute you. I duff my hat for you. I thank each and every one of

you for the different disparate, convergent but interlocking roles you played in

the long journey to where we are today. Yes, it was a journey of a thousand

miles, the human side of which you played so convincingly and for which I

thank you. The other side of the coin of that crucial journey is the divine side.

Only God Almighty could use us as tools and messengers in His hands to make

our dreams and actions come true. To Him we bow in obedience to His designs

and wishes in everything.

2.0 THE IMPERATIVE FOR CHANGE

When I asked for a mandate to lead this faculty during the 2004/2006

biennium, I did so on the basis of vision and mission statements. Those

statements challenged all of us to embrace the imperative of change as long

awaited desire of our continued existence as a relevant and viable entity as a

Faculty. The necessity for change becomes even more compelling with each

passing hour, day, month and year. The faculty and its constituent units must

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either change or perish. So urgent and so necessary are the need to rethink not

only what we do, but also how we do it. So high is the cost of complacency at

the crucial cross-road in the life of the faculty of which we find ourselves!

Since a mere few days ago when I made rounds and visited each of you with

my message of change, the need for that change has become pressing and more

crystal clear in its import.

If you permit me, respected colleagues, to unmask the sacred masquerade in

the sanctuary of sanctuaries, we can in outline, summarize the nakedness of

our situation in the following manner.

• Academic standard plunged despite the façade of pretensions about

minimum academic standards. Any semblances of Quality are fast

vanishing by the day. What is even worse, the degree programme in

Agriculture has only partial accreditation during the last exercise

conducted by NUC.

• We are under staffed, professionally out-of-date, technologically

obsolete, weakened by 20-years of forced in-breeding and staff morale

cannot but be lower.

• Our academic and physical infrastructure including our labs and

teaching/research farm have disintegrated into a state of virtual

comatose. If we must tell ourselves the truth, we represent

infrastucturally speaking, a desert of inadequacies and obsolescence.

• Our student enrolment as well as student quality are at an all time low.

Almost every student we admit would rather be elsewhere if we allowed

it. Can any of us recall when last we dreamt of making a first class

degree award to any student of the faculty? Are the days of Professor

Anugwa, Professor Ibe, Dr. M. Uguru and the others coming back?

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• Funding of the faculty over the last 20 years for anything other than

staff emoluments and allowances paid grudgingly almost in arrears, has

been next-to-zero or non-existent for all practical purposes.

All these happened. They are still happening and getting worse by the day; and

you all know I am not being alarmist. If anyone is in doubt, that person only

needs to talk to anyone of our colleagues who in early August attended the

NUC forum on the reform of the minimum academic standards. Standards

across the Nigerian University System have been battered. We must either go

up or go out.

In a situation of pervasive erosion of quality and its structures, the easiest

mistake we can make is to externalize the blame, exporting it to government

which has failed to fund the university. Neither can we externalize it internally

to a succession of bad Vice-Chancellors. The truth we must admit is that we

also failed woefully as followers. The opposite side of the coin of bad

governance is bad followership. If the Federal Government failed to fund the

University, what did we do to diversify our sources of funding beyond a single

category? If our Vice-Chancellor were hopeless, what did we do to engineer

ourselves out of this swampy terrain? What did we do to halt a downward

spiral into the abyss of certain failure as a faculty and as a University? Are we

no longer the best and brightest?

3.0 THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

The decision to engage my energies in the contest for deanship represents, on

my part, the assertion of a personal affirmative resolve to become an

instrument of God for a change that will re-engineer our faculty and halt the

downward spiral. It is my personal statement to the effect that enough is a

enough. It is a loud and definitive statement that I can be the agent of change in

this faculty. Voting for the vision, mission and change strategies I espoused in

my manifesto and interactions with the rank-file in the faculty represents an

eloquent statement that we are ready to board the locomotive of change. Being

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the men and women of thought and action you are all in your individual and

collective capacities, we are not ever likely to see change in exactly the same

way. But in a democracy, the essence of debate and dialogue in any election

process is, in effect, to sharpen the options and pave the way to consensus. I

will like to think and justifiably so, that the sportsmanly character of the debate

in the last deanship election in the faculty elevated the process a notch higher

than before. Once again, I want to congratulate my colleague for the dignified

manner of his own conduct. I want to say that now that the elections are over;

our duty to faculty is for everyone to unite the struggle for change. All ideas

contributed on different issues in the debate from all sides shall now be

harmonized into one strategic plan of action to change the faculty. The

challenge of formulating an action plan for re-engineering the Faculty through

the harmonization of all useful ideas in the debate lands us squarely at the

moment of truth.

4.0 THE FACULTY’S VISION OF CHANGE

(i) Refocus the Faculty for the pursuit of academic excellence by reforming

curricula in far-reaching, creative ways and by suitably re-engineering

the academic infrastructure.

(ii) Rebuild and transform the physical infrastructure of the faculty to

support a re-configured tradition of sustainable agricultural research,

restructured system of farm-year internship training programme and a

new concerted thrust in commercial farming, processing and marketing

of agricultural products for profit.

(iii) Focus on significantly enhancing staff and student welfare in ways to

distinguish the faculty as a place which, more than anything else,

cherishes its human resources and makes strategic investments to

promote their welfare.

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(iv) Target on raising a war chest of $5.0million (U.S.) from a variety of

interlocking sources nationally and internationally to make all these

things possible.

These goals are not easy to accomplish, but there is no doubt about the fact that

the pain of continuing to live with the status quo is unacceptable. This is why

we have no real choice but to embrace the change process. The goals are

interlocking. None of them can be accomplished without the others. We

therefore, require a central driving strategy to pursue and achieve them.

5.0 THE ROAD-MAP TO CHANGE: GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND

BENCHMARKS

The first thing we must do once we agree on the four goal-thrusts for

developing the faculty is to translate each goals into a set of SMART (Specific,

Measurable , Achievable, Result-orient and Time-targeted) objectives. Each

objective shall be benchmarked by designating responsibility, defining who,

how, cost and other constraints associated with the particular objectives.

Table 1 shows how each goal is objectified. The objectives cited are merely

illustrative at this stage. We need the collective wisdom of the faculty as a

whole to define and prioritize these objectives. We shall apply the same

collective wisdom to benchmark the objectives for implementation.

Table 1: Translating each Goal into SMART Objectives

1. Refocus on Pursuit of academic Excellence

2. Rebuild / Transform Physical Infrastructure

3. Focus on Staff/ Student Welfare.

Focus on raising $50 million (US)

1.1 Reform curriculum.

1.2 Refurbish academic facilities.

1.3 Diversity course offerings.

Create farm brigades.

Create research farms.

Create training farm year farms.

3.1 Create all–round learner-friendly environment.

3.2 Promote student advising/mentoring.

3.3 Create opportunities for part-time

4.1 Raise seed money to finance preparatory activities.

4.2 Pursue domestic

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1.4 Recruit new staff.

1.5 Retrain and Retool staff

1.6 Improve the administration of exams in terms of speeding up marking, release of results and record keeping.

1.7 Computerize exam records

1.8 Write textbooks for all courses.

1.9 Promote TQM culture in perpetual pursuit of excellence.

1.10 Promote students advising leading into mentoring.

1.11 Computerized the faculty; install a computer in every staff office and equip centralized computerize the rooms in each of the departments.

Create commercial farms.

Establish farm service centre.

Mechanize tractorize farms.

Establish food processing and storage facilities.

Establish field laboratories.

Build farm roads.

Install and enhance electric power on the farm.

Install water and vacation lighter.

Establish poultry/piggery, and fish ponds.

Develop Agro-technology Park.

Market agric products.

Work out a banking system to finance farming operations.

employment of needy students.

3.4 Promote marking and issue of exam result within 1-2 months after exams.

3.5 Promote sporting and other competitive activities, e.g. faculty week celebrations and area academic associations.

3.6 Focus on a code of dressing.

3.7 Enhance staff income from profit made from commercial activities/services of faculty.

3.8 Invest in staff welfare scheme including insurance.

3.9 Engage in staff training and retraining.

3.10 Foster promotion activities for staff.

3.11Mount faculty lectures including valedictories for retiring staff.

sources of fund.

4.3 Pursue external sources of fund.

4.4 Pursue other convenient sources.

4.5 University of Nigeria sources.

4.6 Alumni sources.

4.7 Diaspora Alumni sources.

4.8 Diaspora Igbo sources.

4.9 Commercial farming and marketing of farm products.

4.10 Consultancy services.

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6.0 FACULTY STRATEGIC PLAN COMMITTEE

To take these ideas further, a Faculty Strategic Plan Committee shall be

established for two reasons:

• To crystallize ideas, objectify the four goals , benchmark them and

produce guidelines for implementation;

• To internalize the concepts and processes in departments each of which

must as quickly as possible influence by the planning process under

way.

7.0 LIVING WITH CHANGE

A change process will not begin until there is a strategic plan document

spelling out the processes and details of the action plan and designating

commencement and termination dates.

I want, therefore, to assure you that life in the faculty will be carried on in such

a way as to maximize advantages that our change proposals shall provide. No

doubt, these processes shall put us in the forefront of change when it finally

comes to the University generally. If we work out our plan document in the

weeks ahead, we shall of course present the final document to the Vice-

Chancellor and subsequently to the “Whole world”. This document will then

become the faculty’s blue –print that will facilitate our fund-raising

activities, our partnership with other entrepreneurs in the business world.

8.0 WHAT I ASK OF MY COLLEAGUES

The Distinguished Members of the Faculty:

My honored colleagues in the UNN workplace, I want to tell you that I see life

as trust and trust as a mutual contract. Accordingly, it is my duty to give you

an idea, no matter how brief or sketchy about how I intend to go about my

work as Dean and to say what I expect of you as colleagues of the Faculty of

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Agriculture during the course of the next two years when we shall engage in

the vigorous pursuit of our mission.

(a) How I plan to do my work:

As Dean, my approach to the day-to-day governance of the faculty will be to

decentralize control. This will be done through structured delegation of

authority to colleagues in various committees. My task within the

administrative routine will then focus on exercising a strong oversight function

by networking and regular consultations with colleagues and others.

Significant time which, I hope to gain in the process, will be invested in

fostering the faculty’s vision and mission perspectives, championing its

strategic plan of action, doing its public relations and raising money in a

magnitude that must match the sweep of our new mission, as a national

and international social force.

• Building upon my considerable experience in fund raising over the last

20-years, I shall work with the University Administration and all of you

colleagues to spearhead concerted and systematic fundraising thrusts

nationwide and overseas using tested state of the art professional

methodologies; engaging the services of our alumni at home and abroad

and targeting the most promising foundations and philanthropies world-

wide. A multi-disciplinary team of trustees headed by a highly respected

and reputable chairman outside the University will monitor the raising

and spending of funds. This is very important in order to create

credibility and engender transparency and accountability in fund

administration.

(b) What I expect of My Colleagues:

• First and foremost, I demand that each of you espouses an

uncompromising commitment to the pursuit of excellence in all we

do. The dedication, which you bring to bear on that endeavor, will send

a signal to students and other stakeholders and those we serve outside

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the walls of the University, the clear message that the wind of change

has to the Faculty of Agriculture and UNN.

• Albert Einstein said that:

“The significant problems we encounter in life cannot be solved at the same

level of thinking at which we created them”

Therefore, deep and fundamental problems of UNN cannot be solved on the

superficial level of thinking which created them ab- initio. Our Mission

represents a new level, indeed the deeper level of thinking required to solve

these urgent problems. The driving ethic of the Mission is interdependence.

I ask you as staff of UNN to embrace this new ethic. Interdependence

means that we put the University first in all we do. That each of us thinks

of change and improvement as something that can only come to UNN if we

embrace the “inside-out” rather that “outside-in” paradigm in how we go

about our everyday work. In the words of President J.F. Kennedy:

Ask not what UNN can do for you”. Instead, ask what together we can do as staff-and-students of UNN to advance the institution’s educational and social mission. That process by itself is the greatest insurance of our individual and collective security.

• In the conduct of your duties I ask you to adhere to strict observance of

the natural law of the farm: to always prepare the ground, sow the seed,

cultivate it to maturity. This principle is universal as you deal with

students, your co-workers (whether superiors or subordinates) and the

larger public we serve.

There are no quick-fix band aids that have any lasting value. You must always

see yourselves and your positions in our Faculty as opportunities to serve and

champion the growth of the people all around you so that our collective efforts

will synergizes and catalyze the growth of Faculty of Agriculture and UNN as

a whole.

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As the philosopher Samuel Johnson tells us:

There can be no friendship without confidence and no confidence without integrity.

9.0 CONCLUSION

I want to conclude by thanking you for your patience and kindly attention.

Needless to say, all the things we have outlined in our Mission will not be

finished in the first 100 – days, nor in the first 700-days nor in the 2-year life

of my tenure as Dean; nor even in our lifetime in this planet. But let us begin,

knowing as the ancient Chinese proverb tells us, that every journey of a

thousand miles must begin with one step. Let us begin by taking that historic

first step.

In the eternal words of John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s inaugural address as the

35th President of the United States:

“Let us go-forth to lead the University we love, asking God’s blessing and his help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own”.

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FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE, UNN:

EMBRACING THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE (2004 – 2010)

Paper delivered at the Faculty Lecture, marking the launching of our

Strategic Plan 25th February, 2005

Professor A. I. Ikeme, Dean of Faculty

1. INTRODUCTION

• In 1960: The Great Zik of Africa and other Founding Fathers created

UNN as the first ever ‘Land Grant Institution’ of Higher Education in

Nigeria.

• The Land Grant Model of Higher Agricultural Education was a

creature of American ingenuity which from 1800 fostered thousands of

colleges and Universities of Agriculture and Technology across the

United States.

• In the main, these colleges are responsible for the unprecedented

success of Agriculture.

The secret behind the success story of American Agriculture is that:

• Networking of teaching, research and co-operative extension activities

and capacities of over 1000 – colleges/universities spread across

Agriculture landscape of America furnished an incredible Kris-cross

and over lap of theory-and-practice which laid the foundation of

American Agriculture and sustains the perpetual renewal of that

foundation.

• At UNN, early developments in the Faculty of Agriculture epitomized

the meteoric rise of the Institution itself to instant stardom within the

cosmology of Nigerian Higher Education over a short period of less

than 7 years between October 1960 and January, 1967.

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• Indeed, the Level of physical development achieved by the Faculty

during its first formative years can be described as phenomenal. The

key facilities with which the Faculty was endowed at reception,

included the following:

Faculty Infrastructure at Inception

o Over 300 hectares of farmland equipped with a network of functional

field laboratories and work stations;

o A farm operation unit equipped with a workshop and farm shop to

provide effective farm service delivery on a comprehensive basis

including tractorization;

o Herds of livestock including:

- Over 300 herds of Cattle

- Hundreds of Sheep and Goat

- A piggery housing over 50-sows at its peak

- Poultry houses in steel structures and facilities that held over 1000 parent stock hens and over 100,000 broilers and layers with a Hatchery.

o A dozen glass houses; crop processing facilities; and later, a commercial

bakery.

• The Nigerian Civil War halted this pattern of rapid development and

practically destroyed the assets of the Faculty.

• The Civil War ended in 1970. The ten years (1970 -1980) of the post

war reconstruction which followed became for the Faculty as for the

University, a period of uncertain and slow recovery. Limited resources

available to resuscitate a large University proved to be far too small for

14 faculties all of which needed comprehensive rehabilitation from

scratch at the same time.

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• The 25-years from 1980 to 2005 have been a continuous period of

deepening crises in the Nigerian economy which featured SAP and

kindred economic myopia that resulted in an expanding pattern of

under-funding of education and the Universities.

• In the consequence, it is entirely predictable that any University and its

Faculties which solely depended on Government subvention or funding

are doomed, sooner than latter, to ineluctable catastrophe.

• In the case of Faculty of Agriculture of UNN, the state in which we

found ourselves in year-2005 is one characterized by 4 painful

aberrations.

The Aberrations:

• Low and rapidly dwindling student enrolment. The Faculty is in a state

in which almost no student elects by choice to enroll in agriculture.

Those few who find themselves in it would rather transfer to more

attractive Faculties if allowed;

• Academic and physical infrastructure that is comatose;

• Staff and associated research infrastructure at the brink of obsolesce;

and

• Staff and student morale at their lowest ebb in decades.

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The Response:

These sad and painful signals of failure have one and only one worthwhile

response, namely:

• Change to re-invent and re-engineered our faculty back into the state of

academic excellence that it enjoyed and symbolized at inception. This

response gave birth to the Faculty’s STRATEGIC PLAN FOR

EXCELLENCE, 2004 – 2010.

• It is to launch this strategic plan that we invited you here today to this

historic forum.

2. THE FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE

The Vision, Mission, Goals, Strategy and Implementation Framework

Statement of Vision

The Faculty’s strategic vision is to regain its lost glory of academic excellence

by re-engineering itself over 5 years into a leading centre of excellence for

agricultural education, research and training in Nigeria; and over 10-years into

the leading centre of excellence in Agriculture in Africa.

Statement of Mission

The Faculty’s strategic mission in pursuit of its vision of academic excellence

is, over a period of 6 years from year-2004 to year-2010, to empower itself for

self-actualization of four strategic goals that are central to its development.

The Faculty’s Four Strategic Goals:

(a) To refocus the faculty for the pursuit of academic excellence by

reforming curricula in creative and far-reaching ways; and by re-

engineering the Faculty’s academic infrastructure.

(b) To rebuild and transform the faculty’s physical infrastructure in support

of the following specific activities: a re-configured tradition of

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sustainable agricultural research; a restructured system of farm-year

internship training programme; and a concerted new thrust in

commercial farming.

(c) To focus on significantly enhancing staff and student’s welfare in ways

that distinguish the faculty as a place which, more than any anything

else, cherishes its human resources and makes strategic investments to

promote their welfare.

(d) To raise a War-Chest Endowment of US $5.0-million from a variety

of sources, nationally and internationally to make all these things

possible.

The Faculty’s Strategic Leadership Pentagon:

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2. Rebuild physical

infrastructure

4. Focus on raising

US $5.0M

5. Outcomes of Change process: Significantly enhance

learning environment Large numbers of

satisfied students, employable at graduation

Committed staff

3. Refocus on staff and student welfare

1. Refocus on academic excellence

Academic Excellence. 1

3. Staff/Student Welfare Rebuild Physical Infrastructure. 2

4. Raise US $5.0M

5. Outcomes

The Faculty is driven by a unique pentagonal (or five sided) model of

leadership which is portrayed in figure-1 below.

Diagram. 1: Strategic Leadership Pentagon

The Apex of the model features 4-determinant outcomes of the change process

that will signal if the desired change is taking place or not; namely:

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i. Creation of a significantly enhanced all-rounded learner-friendly

environment is at the core of the faculty’s mission. This outcome

envisions excellence in learning as a pervasive signal of change that

cannot be compromised in any meaningful change process. Learning in

the context of the strategic plan is all-embracing. It encompasses

enhancement of learning by students, staff and other stake holders who,

now and/or in the future, would take part directly or indirectly in the

faculty’s diverse educational, research, cultural and recreational

programme.

ii. Large numbers of satisfied students who seek admission into the faculty

as their first and primary choice are motivated to learn and acquire

know-how and skills during their courses of study in the faculty. Upon

graduation, they are equipped to market themselves more successfully

in the international labour market in which they can more easily secure

competitive employment or can become happily self-employed; and in

the process, creating productive employment for others and wealth for

the Nation.

iii. Committed and fulfilled staff, who are happy with their jobs and are

prepared to serve the faculty with all their talent, energy and intellect.

iv. Robust and stable finances are an empowering force without which

other things are strangulated. The Faculty cannot change without all-

round robust and stable finances. Indeed, it is the cessation of adequate

funding that constituted the immediate cause of the downward spiral of

excellence in the Faculty and the University.

As the figure above shows, the four outcomes occupy the centre of the model

when viewed in 2-dimensions. When projected in 3-dimensions, these outcome

become the apex (or point-5) of a pentagon (or 5-sided figure). The four goal-

thrusts of the Faculty’s Strategic Mission occupy the base of the pentagon with

corners numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4. Although each of the four goals is distinct,

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they are interdependent as none of them can be sustained without the others.

The notion of interdependence is conveyed by the alternating directions of

arrows which link the goals not only to themselves but also connect them with

the outcomes.

2.5 CHANGE IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK

To implement the change the faculty has developed a framework that networks

three interacting subsystems. The three subsystems and how the relate to each

other are portrayed in Diagram-2 below.

A1 Project Coordinating Committee [PCCC]

A3 TAC

A4 Project Director/General

Manager

A2 FRC

A = PDCD (Brain of System)

B = Service Organs (heat of Systems)

S1

S2

S3

S4

S5

P1

P2

P3

P4

P5

Pn

C=Programmes = POA (Body Function of System)

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3-Interacting Sub-systems of Framework [A,B,&C]

A. Project Driving Committees and Directorate: [PDCD]:

a1 = Project Central Coordinating Committee [P.C.C.C.]

a2¬ = Fund Raising Committee and Trusteeship [FRCT]

a3 = Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)

B. The Service Organs of the Project: [SOP]:

S1 = Agro-Consult Services; S2 = Farm Service Centre;

S3 = Agro-processing Service Complex S4 = Farm Shop and Marketing

Service

S5 = Financial and Banking Services

C. Programmes of Activity [POA]:

P1 = Curricula Reform: Staff and Academic Infrastructure Revitalization

P2 = Farm-year Programme Reform into Farming Brigades

P3 = Research Farms Revitalization Programme P4 = Commercial Farm

Programme

P5 = The Agro-technology Park Programme

P6 = Faculty Text Book Publishing Programme

Pn = New Programmes (e.g.: Backery; Sachet Water Production).

Fig. 2: Change Implementation Framework

The 3-subsystems of the framework are:

i. The Project Driving Committee and Directorate: This is the brain of

the entire system and has four interrelated components namely

• The Project Central Coordinating Committee [PCCC]

• The Fund Raising Committee and Trusteeship [FRCT]

• The Technical Advisory Committee [TAC] and

• The Project Director/General Manager [PD/GM]

ii. The Service Organ of the System which function as the heart pumping

life-giving blood into the entire system. It has 5-components, namely;

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• Agro-Consult Service: which provides technical and financial

consultancies to the system;

• Farm Service Centre: which channels all production inputs into

the system;

• Agro-processing Service Complex: to process, preserve and add-

value to all products of the faculty’s farming operation in

preparation for competitive marketing;

• Farm shop and Marketing Service to market all products of the

faculty farming operations; and

• Financial and Banking Service: which provides ready credit to

the operations and banks incomes from all sales.

iii. The Programmes of Action Projects: At the moment, there are 8-

specific programmes of action and additional room for any number of

new programmes that will come on stream as each one matures, which

can be funded and operated. The 8-projects are:

• P1 = Curricula Reform and Revitalization of Staff and Academic

Infrastructure.

• P2 = Reform of Faculty Farm–year Programmes to create

Farming Brigade

• P3 = Revitalization of Faculty Research Farms and Facilities.

• P4 = Creation of a profitable Faculty Commercial Farm

Complex.

• P5 = The Agro-technology Park Project.

• P6 = The Faculty Textbook Publishing Project.

• P7 = Revitalization of Faculty Bakery.

• P8 = Establishment of a Faculty Pure Water Production

Programme with a Laboratory for commercial water analysis.

•

•

•

Pn = Any number of new programmes that will evolve one at a time in the

future.

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The logic of the framework is to manage the affairs of each subsystem and

each project as a “micro-enterprise”. For example, each farm-brigade or each

project activity, shall be managed by a small management team structured

around the enterprise. The small management team shall be backed with the

professional assistance of Agro-consult Service. Managers of the micro

enterprises link up and network not only at the sub-sub-system level, but also

at the sub-system level. At each level, each micro-enterprise shall be assisted

as necessary using instruments and/or mechanism of cooperation installed at

strategic intermediate points. The Service Organs of the change-scheme shall

provide operational services at cost to all enterprises. The Project Director

(PD/GM) superintends over the macros or project- level intermediating and

coordinating across the subsystems, networking them for optimal overall

efficiency and effectiveness. The PD/GM reports to the PCCC and the Dean.

Both the Dean and PCCC, in turn, perform oversight functions on the activities

of the PD/GM.

3. CONCLUSION

The Beginning of a Historic Journey of a Thousand Miles:

What you witness today is the beginning of a historic journey of a thousand

miles to halt the Faculty of Agriculture from 35 years of neglect and

precipitous decline. Our aim is to turn the faculty around and to commence the

urgent task of re-engineering academic excellence back into the Faculty for

Nigerian and African Agriculture for the 21st century.

Symbol of Faculty Resolve for Self-actualization

The enterprise we commence today symbolizes the resolve of the members,

both staff and students of the faculty of Agriculture of a great university who

are prepared and eager to take the fate of our Faculty’s development into our

own hands. Having come to the grim realization that government subvention

alone will never be enough and that we can no longer continue to externalize

leadership-and-followership failures of our faculty past, we have resolved to

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embark on a bold plan to rebuild our shattered Faculty. Accordingly, we have

made collective and significant investment in preparing the plan we unfold

today.

The Synergistic Role of our Stake Holders Constituencies

But an ambitious plan of the sort we present to you requires concentration of

the effort of divergent stake holders to make it work. We know that we can not

take our stake holders for granted. We have brought you here today to tell you

so. We thank you for honouring our invitation. Our goal today is to raise

crucial seed money and mobilize other forms of support required to empower

the faculty to search vigorously and creatively both nationally and

internationally for the bulk of the $5-million (U.S.) required to finance

transformational change in the Faculty.

The Faculties Challenge to our Stake Holders

The faculties challenge to our stake holders is that they should assist the

Faculty to raise just 5% of $5-million (U.S.) or N40 million.

The Faculty’s Commitment to our Stake Holders

Then the faculty’s commitment shall be to find the remaining 95% of the War-

Chest of $5-million (U.S.) or N710-million from a mix of national and

international sources over the next 6 years and apply it judiciously to change

the faculty as detailed in the plan.

Expenditure and Income Profile

• Expenditure

Through systematic visibility studies and business planning, the faculty has

worked out the following summary breakdown of expenditure of the different

sub sectors of the plan;

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- Project Central Management N56-million (7%)

- Establishment of Service Organs N210-million (28%)

- Cost of Programs of Action N350-million (47%)

- Contingency allowances N134-million (18%)

Total N750-million (100%)

• Income

During the first ten years of the change process, the following income streams

shall flow into the Faculty from the various projects of the action plan.

- From Arable Crop and Tree Crop (from 5th year on) production:

N490M

- From Livestock, Hatchery, Poultry and Fishery Production

N100M

- From text book production project

N150M

Total Income

N740M

Commitment to Sustainability

Our project income profiles suggest that the faculty can run and sustain itself

once it is rehabilitated, re-engineered and up-and-running in accordance with

the plan of action. This is the second commitment we make to our stake

holders.

From these two speeches we can confidently infer that we had a vision. I have

remained an invaluable catalyst, maybe not to some, in our journey to

economic freedom.

Following the lunching of our strategic plan, the Faculty published a

compilation of papers delivered, during the Faculty lecture, by distinguished

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lecturers and eminent Nigerian citizens. Titled “Strategic Change in

Agricultural Sciences in Nigeria: Repositioning the Faculty of Agriculture,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka”. Our distinguished lecturers included:

Vice-Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Prof. C.O. Nebo

HRM Igwe Alfred Achebe (Agbogidi)

Prof. C.P.E. Omaliko, Director, NABDA, Abuja Nigeria

D.T. Bango, Director, Development Finance Department, Central Bank of Nigeria

Dr. A.A. Oredipe, Director, FADAMA

Dr. Okey Ewurum, National President, Alumni Association, UNN

Dr. Emmanuel Onucheyo, An agricultural consultant.

Admiral Dr. M. Nyako, President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria

The outcome of the lecture is simply summarized in one word,

“Entrepreneurship” is the only way forward. The foreword to this book written

by me, the then Dean Faculty of Agriculture, says it all and leaves no one in

doubt of where we are going to and I quote:

This book is one of the gains of the launching of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka Strategic Plan for Excellence: 2004-2010. The primary purpose of our strategic plan is to re-create an entrepreneurial Faculty of Agriculture in University of Nigeria and hopefully in the process serve as a good example to other faculties. The faculty believes that its vision of refocusing on the pursuit of academic excellence in Agriculture for the Nigerian people fundamentally accords with the University’s basic mission of excellence. Indeed, the faculty perceives its effort as one that could trigger the long-awaited catalysis in the fabric of the University’s enterprise, which if creatively understood and harnessed would nudge the entire system into breaking the jinx of ineluctable inertia. That jinx has over the years and for far too long, held back the course of a paradigm-shift that is imperative if University of Nigeria is to rise to the challenge of leading the way in the creative resurgence of tertiary educational development in

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Africa in the 21st Century. If our strategic plan is properly funded and supported by stake-holders and other interested partners, loans would be repaid, education in all its ramifications would become result-oriented and graduates, men and women with vision and entrepreneurial skills, would no doubt contribute positively to the development of Nigeria by reducing poverty and creating wealth and employment. We aim to create a faculty where hard work is rewarded; job involvement, job satisfaction, and excellent work ethnics are hailed and acclaimed. In line with the goals of Nigeria’s NEEDS (National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy) document we hope to create a faculty that Nigeria can be proud of, a faculty that offers its students and staff opportunities that are comparable with those obtained in industrialized countries of the world. In summary, our goal is to make possible an eventual breakaway of the masses “From Poverty to Wealth”.

I wish to thank all our contributors for making this masterpiece a reality. I encourage all progressives to avail themselves of useful information contained in this booklet.

After 2 years in office, serving as Dean Faculty of Agriculture (2004), the

Faculty of Agriculture regained the rating as nominally and functionally the

best. Before I assumed office, only 2 departments – Food Science &

Technology and Nutrition and Dietetics had received full accreditation from

NUC. Working with all my colleagues, initiating and catalyzing reactions, the

National University Commission experts visited the Faculty and scored our

Departments above 84%. Hence, all the departments are now fully accredited.

Indeed they recommended that our Department of Home Science, Nutrition &

Dietetics be converted to a Faculty. In the 60’s and early 80’s, the Faculty of

Agriculture fulfilled its role in the University by serving as a Centre for

academic excellence, fed the community and provided extension services to

farmers within and beyond the locality. We were indeed No. 1 nominally and

functionally.

However, for a period of about 20 years due to foreseen & unforeseen

circumstances, we were jolted like adolescents into confusion. I am happy to

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say unequivocally that with my coming on Board as Dean Faculty of

Agriculture, we were no longer fixated but regained our position as No. 1

Faculty in University.

Lastly, I am very happy to inform that our vision for the Faculty of Agriculture

“prophetically” has caught up with the entire University in our Centre for

Entrepreneurship and Development Research, where I am currently the

director. Our mission/vision of creating wealth and employment is the main

focus of the Centre strategically positioned for the entire University of Nigeria.

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CHAPTER FIVE

CAPACITY BUILDING

For the University of Nigeria to become a world-class institution and a Model University within the West African sub-region, we must engage in institutional transformation to face the challenges of the 21st century. Nothing less will do and no amount of excuses would exonerate us from failure to perform. The institutional transformation we are working to achieve is to be accomplished primarily through academic excellence, attitudinal reorientation, aggressive fund raising drives, courteous service delivery, prudent resource management, investment in profitable ventures, institutional commitment to excellence in every area and individual commitment to ownership of the vision.

Our University is the only one that bears the name of our great country Nigeria, and must, and, I repeat must therefore strive to be the most glorious and accomplished University in Nigeria. If Nigeria is the giant of Africa, the University of Nigeria should become the University Giant of Africa. To settle for anything less would be reneging on our implicit responsibility to bear the banner of our great nation. We have the human resources to achieve this, and should, therefore resolve to do so.

As we march forward in the daunting task of institutional transformation, we must, for the most part, move from abstract research to development-driven research, from ivory tower orientation to service delivery and the concept of University without walls, from the traditional to the entrepreneurial University, and from mere resource management to resource and wealth creation. Failure to do so would invariably put us in the reverse gear, which leads to institutional atrophy.

The University of Nigeria should thrive in perpetuity and not just coast along in a moribund state of existence. It is time to move from sheer administration to strategic management principles. A multidimensional, multi-disciplinary approach needs to be adopted in order to realize our mission. In the process of doing so we would then present to the world, University graduates that are truly functional, entrepreneurial, dynamic, independent and abundantly resourceful. We should be producing

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graduates that create jobs and not those that swell the ranks of the unemployed and the unemployable…..

Today the Nigerian government is implementing some reforms in our educational systems in a bid to repositioning our educational system and making it better poised to meeting the demands of industry. In addition the University of Nigeria, through its Entrepreneurship Development Centre is promoting and fostering entrepreneurial culture and mind-set, skill acquisition, self-employment, economic independence and self-actualization. It is true that some ideologists believe that it is the duty of the government to provide employment for its people and not for undergraduates to become entrepreneurial in order to create jobs for themselves. However, living by that ideology in the Nigeria of today is no longer real and tenable if one must survive and the only option is taking our own destiny in our hands by innovating our way out of the situation.

The entrepreneurial graduate is a graduate that has imbibed the entrepreneurial spirit which is manifested in persistence, confidence, boldness, foresight and sacrifice. He/she has the analytical and ICT skills required in the work place; problem solving/decision making skills; technical skills as exhibited by his/her ability to appropriately apply acquired knowledge to the workplace; proficient in the use of instruments/equipment due to adequate practical experience; sound mind that easily comprehends problems and high solution profferability. An entrepreneurial graduate is poised to start his/her own small scale enterprise and already possesses a good/practical knowledge of Basic Business Management, Business Development Service and has acquired life skills and leadership qualities required to lead an organization. He/she has practical orientation to solving problems and is ready to apply the knowledge he has acquired in the University. Thus the task of moulding an entrepreneurial graduate requires the active cooperation and involvement of the students, the lecturers and the University administration.

Skill acquisition and creativity should be the watchword of any student who wants to be entrepreneurial and the era of a professor delivering lectures with lecture materials he used over twenty years ago has gone; making it necessary for the University lecturer to retool and re-equip himself by reaching out to government, community,

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industry and the whole world. A practical orientation (how-to-do-it) should be given to every lecture. Case studies and ICT instructional materials should always be used in delivering lectures. Thus lecturing becomes participatory with the students being active participants and being trained to meet the demands of the industry and to become self reliant after graduation….

The above quotations are the very words of Prof. Chinedu Nebo, the Vice

Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka at two different occasions.

I am glad I played an important role in the establishment of the Centre for

Entrepreneurship and Development Research, (CEDR). A copy of my

correspondence to the Vice Chancellor on July 14th, 2005 says it all. (see

appendix 2). I was then the Dean of Faculty of Agriculture, the first

Faculty in University of Nigeria, Nsukka to take an entrepreneurial leap.

A year and half later I became the director of CEDR.

As a servant leader, my colleagues and I in Center for Entrepreneurship and

Development Research, (CEDR) have successfully transformed the vision of

Mr. Vice Chancellor into reality. Within a life span of less than two years we

have branded CEDR and it has become a household name within and outside

Nigeria. Indeed CEDR is now recognized as an off shoot of the one and only

University of Nigeria.

Engr. Emeka M. Ezeh FNSE, the then President, Nigeria Society of Engineers

delivering the 47th Founders Day Lecture-

“Entrepreneurship in Education: A Strategic Imperative for Nigeria”, informed

his audience in University of Nigeria, Nsukka on Friday, October 5, 2007 that

the qualities of an entrepreneur include:

A desire to achieve – The push to conquer problems and give birth to a successful venture;

Hard work – It is often suggested that many entrepreneurs are workaholics;

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Desire to work for themselves – Entrepreneurs like to work for themselves rather than work for organizations or any other individual. They may work for someone to gain the knowledge of the product or service that they may want to produce;

Nurturing Quality – Willing to take charge of, watch over a venture until it can stand alone;

Acceptance of Responsibility – Are morally, legally and mentally accountable for their ventures;

Optimism – Entrepreneurs are extremely optimistic. They believe anything is possible;

Courageous/Risk Takers – Entrepreneurs are courageous to the extent that they are ready to take risks;

Organization – Are good at bringing together the components (including people) of a venture;

Profit Orientation – Want to make profit, but the profit serves primarily as a meter to gauge their success and achievement.

With the views of these two great men (Prof. C.O. Nebo and Engr. Emeka M.

Ezeh) and other like minds the importance of entrepreneurial education cannot

be over-emphasized. Under my leadership, we started from the scratch, toiled

and labored to ensure that our students, unemployed school leavers,

unemployed graduates, retirees, business men and women within and outside

Nsukka imbibe the entrepreneurial culture, become their own boss or work

effectively and efficiently for their organizations. The centre is geared towards

contributing positively to the realization of a fully industrialized Nigeria

through the catalytic and pioneering role of micro/medium enterprise. This is

our vision. Our mission is to promote entrepreneurial culture and mind-set,

skill acquisition, self-employment, economic independence and self-

actualization. We have successfully organized workshops and seminars all

over Nigeria. In collaboration with Withworth Entrepreneurship Consultancy,

London we successfully carried out the “1st ever International Undergraduate

Business Conference in Nigeria”. This took place on the 14th of July, 2007 at

Enugu (Protea Hotel, Nike Resort, Abakpa Nike and in Lagos, the commercial

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capital of Nigeria on the 21st of July 2007 at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island) -

with the theme “unemployment in Nigeria: Exploring Entrepreneurship as the

Next Alternative”. We partner with many organizations, which include:

AIAE - African Institute for Applied Economics, Enugu.

African Creativity Network, USA.

We sponsor and support International Youth Organizations

We have successfully trained artisans, farmers, business men and

women within Nsukka and Enugu metropolis.

With our signing of an MOU with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

our mandate has become a reality as we are empowered to carry out our

Entrepreneurial Evangelism through out the south East and beyond.

We are happy to say that our final years now receive entrepreneurial

training on how to start and manage small scale enterprises.

Moreso, two courses on entrepreneurship have been approved by the

university senate for penultimate and final year students of University

of Nigeria, including our medical students.

Since networking is of topmost priority in today’s business arena, our

graduates have learnt to cooperate in other to achieve greatness.

Lions Entrepreneurs Multipurpose Cooperative Society (LEMCOS)

Limited was inaugurated by Mr. Vice Chancellor on 27th of November,

2007 to enhance and facilitate successful implementation of our

strategies to move the masses from Poverty to Wealth.

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CHAPTER SIX

WHY FOOD SCIENCE?

The scientific study of food is one of man’s most important endeavours,

mainly because food is his most important need. It is necessary for his

survival, his growth, his physical ability and his good health. Food

processing & handling is the largest of all man’s industries, Nickerson &

Ronsivalli, (1976). Preparing to graduate in Animal Science, in June

1976 as informed earlier, the above two mentioned authors, experts in the

field of Food science came up with their publication “Elementary Food

Science”. This book and the many articles I read in Nigerian Newspapers

and magazines inspired me to change my career to Food Science – then a

declared virgin area. Excerpts from the afore-mentioned book inform:

Food – Man’s Most Important Need

It is universally accepted that man’s basic need are food, clothing and shelter. Of course, such a listing ignores man’s need for oxygen and water, two critical requirements, but this is understandable since we take for granted the presence of adequate amounts of oxygen in the air we breathe, and it is only in underdeveloped countries that the concern for water is evident. Food is the most important need, of the three. Like oxygen and water, food is a critical need without which man cannot survive. The need for food is relentless and he is reminded to eat by the hunger sensations, he feeds at least three times each and every day of his life. The availability of an abundant supply of food does not necessarily guarantee survival unless the food is nutritionally complete and contains no deleterious substances. Thus throughout man’s evolution he has had to concentrate on many factors affecting food.

He has had to increase the efficiency of food procurement to insure a sufficient availability.

To learn ways to preserve foods to carry him through times of scarcity or crop failures.

To learn specific processing methods to increase the variety and desirability of his food.

Also, he has to learn how to minimize food-borne illness and he also of necessity has to learn the rudiment of the

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nutritional and medical experts of food diets to maintain his health.

All these reveal to us that Food Science is a noble profession - second to

none and a lot needs to be done for the well-being of man. Thus, being a

Food Scientist can be exciting, challenging and of necessity, important to

any nation especially developing countries.

Food Science and Health

The optimum physical and mental functioning of the body is dependent

on the nutritional quality of the food it receives. From the knowledge

acquired through the development of Food Science emerged conclusions

that resulted in the classification of Foods into Nutritional Group

Representatives of which are considered to be necessary in all diets to

ensure intake of a recommended minimum of protein, carbohydrates,

vitamins, minerals etc. Evidence of the links between diets and certain

symptoms of ill health became easier to obtain as Food Science

developed, and the potential of specific diets in corrective and preventive

medicine has been since recognized and is effectively practiced.

Food Science for Society Sake

There is an awareness that public education on Food Science is lacking.

Nigerian Institute of food Science & Technology (NIFST) and our

international counterpart Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and all

professionals in this noble field have all embarked on public education

programs to remedy the situation. Ours in University of Nigeria is

working out as we no longer rely on University’s advert for legible

students, after JAMB and Post UME intake, to admit students.

Knowledge of elementary food science principle is needed by all and

sundry for survival. We are faced daily with a considerable incidence of

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food borne illness – cholera, dysentery etc. and countless cases of

perfringes poisoning, salmonellosis and staphylococcal poisoning due to

foods eaten in restaurants, institutions, homes and “joints” could be

avoided if the populace is educated in fundamentals of food science. The

importance of Food Scientists is therefore not in doubt. While it is not

new to state that the increase in the world’s population is more rapid than

the increase in food supplies required to feed that population, it is only

because of Food Science that the situation is not far more serious. Food

Scientists, more than ever will have to the turn to the, conversion of

waste and other low-value materials to synthesize foods and food

analogs.

Food Science as a Profession

Food science is the study of the physical and chemical characteristics of

foods. Food technology includes the total sequence of operations from

the selection of raw materials through processing, preservation and

distribution. Food science could also be defined as the application of the

physical, biological and behavioral sciences to the processing and

marketing of foods. The primary concern of both the food scientist and

technologist is the processing and preservation of raw agricultural

products as stable and nutritious foods of acceptable quality.

We belong to a profession that may well be among the most important,

the timeliest and the most relevant profession of our time. It is important

because it is the device, by which we can control the availability, the

nutrition and the wholesomeness of food – the one commodity that is

critical to the survival of man. Food Science is a mixture of disciplines,

with emphasis placed on the food related aspects of the disciplines. Thus

the Food Scientists concentrates on the microbiology of foods, the

biochemistry of foods, the rheology of foods, the application of

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engineering principles to food processing and preservation, the

psychology of foods etc. He also studies some disciplines and some

courses without emphasis on food-related aspects. The latter include:

mathematics, inorganic chemistry, basic physics, engineering and

entrepreneurship. Training in Food Science includes considerable

training in the use of food process.

Lastly the food industry is the largest of all industries. It includes but not

limited to farming, fishing, processing, transportation, wholesaling,

retailing, ware housing, etc. These activities require many others.

Included among these are industries that supply work clothes, farm

equipment, processing equipment, trucks, fork lifts, recreational facilities

and professionals, for example engineers, to build refrigerator, fishing

gear, heaters, oven and laboratory equipment.

In sum, the ramifications that take root in the food industry reach into

nearly all other industries.

Careers in Food Science and Technology

Steward and Amerine (1973), affirmed that food science offers a

challenging opportunity to the young scientist. Students from all other

related disciplines are advised to come and join us. This is sequel to the

fact that in the total universe of science and technology, food science and

technology maintains special relationships with several basic disciplines

as well as with a number of applied specializations. We depend on the

basic principles of physical, biological and behavioral sciences in order

to make applications to food processing and food preservation. And we

share our concern with providing man’s food with such specialties as

agriculture, fisheries nutrition, veterinary medicine, medicine, business

administration and marketing (see diagram 3).

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Food Science and Technology in the universe of science and technology

Economics Biochemistry Microbiology Physiology Psychology Chemistry

Basic Disciplines

Food Science and Technology

Related specializations

Fisheries

Agriculture Engineering Medicine

Marketing

Business Administration

Veterinary medicine Nutrition

Physics

Diagram 3

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Food Science and Technology and its components

Chemistry Biochemistry Sensory evaluation Physics Microbiology

Scientific areas

Food Science and Technology

Technological areas

Packaging Processing Manufacturing Engineering Sanitation

Diagram 4 Also as shown in Diagram 4 food science and technology itself is made up of several components. The discipline-oriented segments include food chemistry and biochemistry, food microbiology and sensory analysis; technological segments include processing, manufacturing, engineering, packaging and sanitation. Career opportunities in the food industries exist for person trained in a wide variety of disciplines and specializations.

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CHAPTER SEVEN

CONCLUSION

The importance of the Polyfunctional Incredible Edible Egg cannot be

overemphasized. As a specialized cell (unit) the seemingly fragile egg is very

well organized. Its existence is however influenced by external factors –

environment, handling and so on. Food Scientists or Egg Specialists strive to

preserve the incredible edible egg and ensure that its quality, physiochemical

and functional properties are maintained. University of Nigeria, Nsukka could

be rightly considered as a specialized unit. The institution was founded on

October 7, 1960 as a land grant University. The founders of the University

saw it as an instrument for transforming the conditions of the black race and

for repositioning Africa and its people for effective participation in the ever-

changing global economy. To them this university is special and will ever

remain so. They sought to use the University to change the fortunes of Nigeria

to a level where it can join the leading nations of the world. With this

background, the University evolved free from the excrescences of colonialism

in its philosophy and curricula. Its vision is encapsulated in the motto: To

Restore the Dignity of Man. The vision of the founding fathers of the

university also implies the preservation of man’s restored dignity. These ideals

they gave eloquent expression in the philosophy of the university to wit:

To seek the truth To teach the truth To preserve the truth And thereby to restore the dignity of man

As outlined in the University’s strategic plan, the strategic vision of the

University is to become an academic giant, the pacesetter among universities

in the Third World, in the quality of its scientific research, the level of its

innovative teaching, and the robustness of its community service. Based on

this strategic vision, the mission of the university is to contribute liberally and

significantly (through the type, quality and orientation of higher education that

it offers) to the increased prosperity and improved quality of life of Africans in

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particular, and humanity at large, and thereby enhance the dignity of man. The

university aims to achieve its strategic mission and live its philosophy by:

Recruiting and retraining faculty staff for excellence and better job delivery.

Admitting and training students (in industry – related skills) as the best potential work force (for the nation).

Develop outstanding undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Achieve entry into, and remaining at the cutting edge of research in the science and technology.

Collaborating with industry, commercial agriculture, commerce and public service in the use of the knowledge of science and technology for national development.

Spreading science, vocational/professional education among members of the university community and its catchment area. (Entrepreneurial University).

Making available to the community and the nation, in usable forms, the products and results of its scientific research, accumulated knowledge, and creative thinking, (Creativity and Innovation).

Consciously embarking on moral and leadership training of its clientele and staff.

The university is made up of fifteen academic faculties, located in two main

campuses – Nsukka and Enugu campuses – that award degrees and diplomas in

several disciplines under the authority of its Senate. The Faculties are

Agriculture, Arts, Biological Sciences, Business Administration, Dentistry,

Education, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Health Sciences and

Technology, Law, Medicine, Pharmaceutical Science, Physical Sciences, the

Social Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine. It also has ten institute/centers

including the Center for Entrepreneurship and Development Research (CEDR).

With functions too numerous to mention, considering the number of units,

(departments, faculties, institutes, centers, etc.), that this institution parades,

our alma mater is second to none. It indeed cannot be substituted by any

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individual or groups nor can it be replaced. However, for the university to

maintain its excellent standard while performing its polyfunctional roles, all of

us are required to put in our best and contribute positively towards the

development of the university. Finding substitutes for Polyfuntional Incredible

Edible Egg vis-a-vis University of Nigeria, is impossible. The egg is a highly

organized entity – yolk, albumen, chalazae, shell membrane and then shell, all

performing different functions. Likewise, academic institutions require lots of

hard work, effective use of time and resources among others from various

stakeholders to become indeed functional.

As a professor of this esteemed university I am indeed grateful to God that the

fortunes of the “wounded lion” are changing for the better in our time. It is my

prayer that the achievements we have witnessed in the last four years and four

months during the tenure of Mr. Vice Chancellor, Prof. C.O. Nebo, would

propel us to greater height and that his dream for University of Nigeria will

become a reality.

Our mission as previously mentioned, should represent a new level, indeed the

deeper level of thinking required to solve emerging problems. The driving

ethic of the mission is interdependence and would entail that each of us thinks

of change and improvement as something that can only come to UNN if we

embrace the “inside-out” rather that “outside-in” paradigm in how we go about

our everyday work. As leaders we must strive to inspire change positively.

I thank God that I am contributing to the emergence of the re-engineered and

re-configured University of Nigeria. It is not by our might, it is by God’s grace.

My intent for the rest of my tenure in this academic citadel and indeed my life

time, is to empower the youth and enable them to make a difference in our

lives, our work and our world. Our mission is to change the world for the better

still remains uppermost in my mind. It is my humble prayer that the Lord Jesus

Christ gives each and every one of us the strength and grace to lead orderly

lives and work very hard for the upliftment of our alma mater, nay mankind.

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I give thanks to God the merciful Father, the God from whom all help comes!!!

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TRIBUTES

To God Almighty I bow. I humbly, with a contrite heart thank Heavenly Father

for creating me and endowing me with the qualities that have enabled me to

become a “WINNER” at all times. I promise to continue to work in the Lord’s

vineyard till the last “breath” of this earthly life. I unequivocally appreciate my

parents (blessed memory) especially my mother who gave her life for me. We

lacked nothing. To my God–sent wife (Ma Cherie), I wish to express my

thanks and deepest love. God is our union and strength. I thank you for your

prayers Sweetheart, the enemy labours in vain. I wish to thank profusely, my

children, all our family members, all my teachers from around the world and

all my students. I could not have made it, were it not for their individual and

collective efforts. I thank all my well wishers and also my critics who

constantly challenge me and once again to Almighty God who gave me the

grace to live up to the challenge for the betterment of all. Lastly, I thank all of

you, here present, who inspite of your busy schedules found time to attend.

May God bless you abundantly and grant you safe journey back to your

destinations.

Thank you all and God bless.

Entrepreneurially optimistic, with deepest respect and utmost humility.

Ike Ikeme, (KSM)

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BILIOGRAPHY

Ames, G., Clucas I., and Paul, S.S. (1991): Post harvest losses of fish in the

tropics. Natural Research Institute. ODA.

Arun, S., et al (1979): Inhibition of aflatoxin-protecting fungi by onion

extracts. J. Food Sci. Vol. 44.

Ball, H. R. and Staffones M. W. (1972): Eggs pickled in various acid strength

solutions. Poultry Sci. Vol. 51.

Bostock, T. W., Walker, D. J., and Wood, C. D. (1997): Reduction of losses

incurred in cured fish in the tropics – guide for extension workers.

Report of the Tropical Development and Research Institute.

Fronig, G. W., and Swanson, M. H. (1964): Oiled versus unrolled eggs for

short periods. 2. Some chemical and physical changes. Poultry Sci. Vol.

27.

Goodwin T. L., Wilson, M. L. and Stadelman, W. J., (1962): Effects of oiling

time, storage position and storage time on the condition of shell eggs.

Poultry Sci. Vol 41.

Gosset, P. W., and Baker R. C., (1981): Prevention of the green-grey

discoloration in cooked liquid whole eggs. J. Food Sci. Vol. 46.

Ikeme, A. I. and Carew, M. O., (1984): Acceptability and storage stability of

smoked mackerel. Proceedings of the 9th Annual Conference of the

Nigerian Society for Animal Production, University of Nigeria.

Ikeme, A. I., (1985): Extending the shelf –life of smoked mackerel.

Proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in

Africa, Lusaka, Zambia.

139

Lupin, H. M. (1986): Water activity in preserved fish products in Cured fish

production in tropics. University of Phillipines in the Visayas, Diliman,

Quezon City.

Maurer, A. J., (1975): Hard-cooking and pickling eggs as teaching aids.

Poultry Sci. Vol. 54.

Motawani, M. P. (1970): Fisheries investigation on Niger and Benue Rivers in

Northern Region and Development of a programme of riverine Fishery

Management and Training. FAO Report of the Government of Nigeria.

National Research Council Commission on International Relations, (1978):

Post-harvest food losses in developing countries, Washington, D. C., U.

S. A.

Nickerson, J. T. R. and Ronsivalli L. J., (1976): Elementary Food Science. The

AVI Publishing Company.

Osuji, F. N. C. (1977): The influence of traditional handling methods on the

quality of processed fish in Nigeria. Proceedings of Conference on

Handling, Processing and Marketing of Tropical Fish.

Proctor, D. I. (1977): The control of insect infestation of fish during processing

and storage in the tropics: Proceedings of Conference on Handling,

Processing and Marketing of Tropical Fish. Tropical Products Institute.

London.

Sabrani, M. and Payne, C. C. (1978): Effect of oiling on internal quality of

eggs stored at 28 and 12o C. British Poultry Sci. Vol. 57.

Stewart, G. F. and Amerine, M. A. (1973): Introduction to Food Science and

Technology. Academic Press.

Swanson, M. H. Froning G. W. and Hendrickson D. N., (1958): Effectiveness

of shell treating of eggs on day of lay as influenced by quality of sealer

and method of application. Poultry Sci. Vol. 37.

140

Trelease, R. D. Sampson, G. O. and Strand, D. V. A. (1952): Canning of hard

boiled eggs U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,223.

Turner, J. L. (1971): The Fish Population of the newly improved Kainji Lake

in Nigeria. J. of W. Africa Science Association, No 16.

Watnabe, K. and Cabrita, F. J. (1971): Directions for the preparation of salted

and dry-smoked fish. Fish Research Bulletin. Zambia.

141

APPENDIX 1

PROFILE CURRICULUM VITAE Prof. Alexander Ikechukwu Ikeme

Department of Food Science & Technology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Enugu State, Nigeria

Telephone: 08037128239 E-mail: [email protected]. Marital Status: Married EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ATTENDED

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State. 2003 – 2005

Purdue University, West Lafeyette, Indiana 47907, USA, 1979-1981

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 7270, USA, 1977-1979

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. 1972-1976

St. Anthony’s College, Ubulu Uku, Delta State, Nigeria. 1970-1971

QUALIFICATION Masters (MSc.) Psychology with Specialization in Leadership (2008)

Post Graduate Diploma/Psychology, 2005.

Fellow, Nigeria Institute of Food Science & Technology, 2000

Member, Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) 1993.

Ph.D., Food Science, 1981

M.Sc., Food Science, 1979

B.Sc., Animal Science, 1976

West African School Certificate, Division One, 1972.

ADMINISTRATIVE WORKSHOPS/TRAINING ATTENDED

1990: Professional Development Programme for Teachers/Administrators.

Solihull, England, October, 1990.

1991-93: Professional Development Programme for Teachers/Administrators.

Salt Lake City, Utah.

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1994: Professional Development Programme for Teachers/Administrators,

Keswick, Cumbria, England, March, 1994.

1994: Professional Development Programme for Teachers/Administrators.

Johannesburg, South Africa, September, 1994.

2005: Participated in a Training Workshop for Accountants, Internal

Auditors, Store Officers and Stock Verifiers in Federal Universities

(University of Nigeria, Nsukka) organized by Office of the Auditor-

PGeneral for the Federation (November, 2005).

2005: Participated in Orientation Workshop for New Councils of Federal

Universities Theme: “Meeting the Challenges Posed by Changing Role

of University Council” held at National Universities Commission

Abuja, Nigeria, May/June 2005.

2006: Workshop on Management and Leadership Development in Nigeria,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, August 2006.

2006: Workshop on the Development of Curriculum and Strategic Plan on

Entrepreneurship for Nigerian Higher Education Institutions, 8th - 17th

November, 2006, Abuja Nigeria.

2007: Organizer of the First International Youth (South-East/South-South)

gathering in Nigeria – Undergraduate Business Conference held at

Nike Lake Resort on 14th July, 2007 in partnership with WithWorth

Entrepreneurship Consultancy, London.

2007: Organizer of the First International Youth (South-West) gathering in

Nigeria – Undergraduate Business Conference held at Terra Kulture,

Victoria Island Lagos on 21st July, 2007 in partnership with WithWorth

Entrepreneurship Consultancy, London

2007: Resource person in the one-day workshop/seminar organized by the

Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Tourism in Awka in Anambra State

on Sources of funds and business improvement for Small and Medium–

Scale Enterprises (SMEs). 16th August 2007 Paper presented:

“Entrepreneurship- Repositioning the Youth for Tomorrows Nigeria.”

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2007: Resource person in the Annual National Conference of the Nigerian

Psychological Association held at the Princess Alexandria Auditorium,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka from 14th – 16th November, 2007.

2007: Resource person on, Entrepreneurship: Repositioning our Youths for

Tomorrow’s Nigeria at the occasion of the Onitsha Ado Education

Summit, December 27th 2007. Onitsha, Anambra State.

2008: 2nd International Workshop on Microfinance Conference and Annual

Microfinance/Entrepreneurship Awards: January 17-18, 2008

2008: Mashav International Course for ‘Key’ Decision Makers and Strategy

Planning on: Marketing and Management in Development of

Agribusiness and Rural Projects: organized by Federal Govt. of

Nigeria, Israeli Embassy and Mazube Farms, Niger State 27th January

– February 2nd , 2008.

2008: Lead resource person, First ever annual lecture series, on Economy and

Environment; Onitsha and the Indexing of a Mega City, Onitsha

Chamber of Commerce - May 2008.

ACADEMIC/ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE

As a member of University of Nigeria Governing Council and University of

Nigeria Strategic Planning Committee, I have been involved in successful fund

raising for the University, planning, monitoring and execution of university

project. The centre for entrepreneurship is my brainchild right from the

conceptual stage to what it is now. Generally, I direct and participate in

preparing proposals for funding as well as execution of funded projects.

Organize or facilitate the organization of training workshops and conferences.

In addition, I offer consultancy services in various areas of small-scale

enterprise especially as it pertains to small-scale food enterprise establishment.

May 1998 – July, 2000 Associate Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. September 2001-August 2002 Associate Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

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August 2002-August 2004 Associate Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. August 2002 – July 2004 Head Department of Food Science & Technology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. July 2004 – July 2006 Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. May 2005 – Till Date Member, Governing Council, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Member of Board, Energy Research and Development Centre. University of Nigeria, Nsukka. 2005 – Till - Date Member of Board, University of Nigeria, General Enterprises Limited. 2001 – Till Date Executive Director, United Aid International – A Non-Governmental Organization Committed to Alleviating the Suffering of the Needy. 2006 – Till Date Vice President, National Entrepreneurship Educators of Nigeria August 2006 – Till Date Director, University of Nigeria, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Development Research. July 2007 & June 2008 National Patron & Organizer of the First & Second Undergraduate Business (UBC) Conference in South East, South-South and South West Nigeria. RESEARCH INTEREST

Field of Specialization:

(1) The Influence of Leadership Style and Job Status on Employee Job

Performance (M.Sc. thesis).

(2) Quality Evaluation Monitoring and Appraisal of Employee Job

Performance.

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(3) Quality Evaluation, Processing and Preservation of Meat, Fish, Poultry

Meat and Egg.

SKILLS ACQUIRED

These include but not limited to:

1. Personality Analysis

2. Human Relationships

3. Team-work Approach (Equally-yolked approach)

4. “Development Models”- Search of Excellence in everything we do.

5. Strategic Thinking and Strategic Planning

6. Reaching the students we teach/employees we supervise on an

individual level.

7. Inquiry Teaching: Reassessment and Discussion Techniques.

8. Questioning Skills (Factual, Reasoning and Personal).

9. The use of appropriate skills

- Creating learner readiness

- Maintaining learner involvement

- Assisting in learner application

- Skills in receiving and providing helpful feedback

- Listening well and understanding students/employees needs.

10. Self Assessment Techniques.

11. Annual Performance Appraisal.

12. Curriculum Development.

13. Administering Literacy Programme.

14. Crisis Management.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Completed: See Publications

In Progress:

• The Influence of Leadership Style and Job Status on Employee Job

Performance (M.Sc thesis).

• Studies on the Product Quality of Smoked Chicken Part.

• Storage Stability of Killishi (Meat Product) – Effect of Packaging.

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• Preservation of “Shell Eggs”.

WORKING EXPERIENCE

Teaching

1979-1981: Graduate Research Assistant, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

1981: Post Doctoral Research Associate, Purdue University, West Lafayette,

Indiana, USA. 1982-1984: Lecture II, Department of Food Science & Technology,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka. 1984-1986: Lecturer I, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

1986-1991: Senior Lecturer, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. • Professor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

• On list of Consultants – FAO – Fish Technology in Africa. RESPONSIBILITIES

1982-Till Date

• Teaching

Introduction to Food Science, Food Microbiology, Quality Control, Poultry

and Egg Technology, Meat and Meat Products, Food packaging.

• Research

* Supervising undergraduate and post graduate research projects.

* Attending and organizing, Seminar/Workshops and Conferences

* Representing the Department in Faculty Committees

* Serving in University Committees.

PATRONSHIP

• National Patron, International World Youth Forum –

www.gce.friendpages.com affiliated to:

� Civic Concepts International, Prague Czech

� International Youth Leadership Africa

� World Youth Alliance

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� Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, USA

� African Travel Association

� National Patron, Undergraduate Student Business Conference – www.entrepreneurshipevents.com.

� National Patron Initiative for Leadership Development Growth

(ILD&G) – Raising Leaders that will Transform the Society. ACADEMIC DISTINCTIONS, HONOURS, GRANTS AND AWARDS

• 8th December, 2007: 4th Edition, Corporate Standard Meritorious Diamond Award for National Development, MEDA 2007, National Merit Award - A Distinguish Agriculturalist.

• 15th September, 2007: Recipient of International Service Award for Entrepreneurship. Rotary Club of Enugu, Coal City of Rotary International District 9140.

• 25th February, 2006: An Award of Honour. Presented by National Association of Onitsha Ado Students UNN Chapter .

• 21st August 2004: Gold Vocational Service Award, Presented by Rotary Club of Enugu – Capitol District 9140, Nigeria.

• 2003-International Peace Prize-American Biographical Institute and United Cultural Convention.

• 1993: FAO research grant – To Study the Effect of Pesticides on Cured Fish in Nigeria.

• 1989: FAO research grant – To Technically Characterize Traditionally Smoked Dried Fish In Nigeria

• 1983-86: University of Nigeria Senate Research Grant Committee Award – To Improve the Product Quality of Smoked Fish.

• 1979-1981: Anambra State of Nigeria Scholarship Award (Post Graduate Studies).

• 1972-76: Federal Government of Nigeria Scholarship Award – (Free University Education).

• 1970-71: St. Anthony’s College, Ubulu-Uku Best Student Award for academic distinction.

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MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES

Member

• Poultry Science Association.

• Institute of Food technologists.

• Nigerian Institute of Food Science & technology.

• Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society.

• Phi Tau Sigma, the Honour Society for Food Science.

• Member, National Association of Entrepreneurship Educators of Nigeria.

PUBLICATIONS Journal Articles 1. Godwin, T.L. and A.I. Ikeme, 1981: Effect of nitrite content and

smoking on yield, shelf life and palatability of Cornish game hens. Poultry Science 60; 679-682.

2. W.J. Stadelman, A.I. Ikeme, R.A. Roop and S.E. Simmons, 1982:

Thermally processed hard cooked eggs, Poultry Science, 61: 388-391. 3. A.I. Ikeme, B. Swaminathan, M.A. Cousin and W.J. Stadelman, 1982:

Extending the shelf-life of chicken broiler meat. Poultry Science, 61: 220-227.

4. A.I. Ikeme, C. Roberts, R.L. Adams, P.Y. Hester and W.J. Stadelman,

1982: Effects of supplementary water-administered Vitamin D on egg shell thickness. Poultry Science, 62: 1120-1122.

5. J.R. Rousselle, K. Seacat, A.I. Ikeme and W.J. Stadelman, 1982:

Utilizing flake-cut spent fowl in chicken pattites. Poultry Science, 63: 932-937.

6. A.I. Ikeme and M.O. Carew, Shelf-life and acceptability of smoked

mackerel. Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Conference of the Nigerian Society for Animal Production, held at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. March 25-29, 1984,p. 149

7. A.I. Ikeme, Extending the shelf-life of smoked mackerel. Proceedings

of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Lusaka, Zambia, January 21-25, 1985, pp. 144-149.

149

8. A.I. Ikeme and H.U. Enelamah, 1985, Effect of oil treatment, storage

temperature and duration on quality of shell eggs. Nigerian Food Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 162-165.

9. C.C. Nwosu, A.I. Ikeme and S.S. Omeje, 1986, Meat evaluation of the

Nigerian local chicken and their crosses. Nigerian Food Journal, Vol., 4, No. 1, pp. 121-124.

10. C.C. Nwosu, A.I. Ikeme and S.S.Omeje, 1987, Effect of genotype, age

and egg size on measure of shell quality of local and crossbred hens. Journal of Animal Production Research, (1987), 1(1), pp. 19-27.

11. A.I. Ikeme, 1987, Effect of oil treatment and storage temperature on

some selected physical and functional properties of shell eggs. J. Food Agric., Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 17-21.

12. A.I. Ikeme and A.C. Uwaegbute, Effect of different methods of hot

smoking on the proximate composition and acceptability of lean and fatty fish. Proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, April 25-28, 1988, pp. 105-109.

13. A.C. Uwaegbute and A.I. Ikeme, Effect of different methods of hot

smoking on the proximate composition and nutritional quality of lean and fatty fish, proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish technology in Africa, Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire, April 25-28, 1988, pp. 113-123.

14. A.I. Ikeme and H.C. Gugnani, Effect of smoking time on product

quality of hot-smoked mackerel, proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire, April 25-28, 1988, pp. 124-129.

15. C.S. Bhandary; A.I. Ikeme and Zak, A. Obanu, Studies on traditional

and improved method of smoking of fish. Proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire, April 25-28, 1998, pp. 140-146.

16. Zak A. Obanu, A.I. Ikeme and R.I.N. Awachie, Sun and solar drying of

fresh water fish. Proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire, April 25-28, 1998, pp. 218.

17. Zak, A. Obanu and A.I. Ikeme, Processing characteristics and yield of

some fishes of the River Niger in Nigeria. Proceedings of the FAO

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Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire, April 25-28, 1998, pp. 218.

18. A.I. Ikeme, 1988: Control of lipid oxidation in smoked mackerel by hot-

water onion extract. Proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish technology in Africa, Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire, April 25-28, 1998, pp. 262-268.

19. A.I. Ikeme, Control of mould growth and rancidity in hot-smoked meat.

Accepted for publication, Food Agric, 1989. 20. A.I. Ikeme, Use of onion and ginger juice extract in improving the

quality of hot-smoked meat. Food Agric publication, 1989. 21. A.I. Ikeme, Characterization of traditional smoked-dried fish in Nigeria.

Proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Accra, Ghana, October 22-25, 1991, pp. 80-85.

22. A.I. Ikeme, Studies on the fragmentability of smoked fish (Decapterus

punctatus and Clarias lazera). Proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish technology in Africa, Accra, Ghana, October 22-25, 1991, pp. 96-103.

23. A.I. Ikeme, Studies on brine preservation of fish and its effect on the

organoleptic quality. Proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Ghana, October 22-25, 1991, pp. 136-146.

24. A.I. Ikeme, Characterization of traditional smoked-dried fish in Nigeria.

Proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Kisimu, Kenya, August 26-31, 1996, pp. 123-125.

25. Igene, J.O.; O.J. Abolagba and A.I. Ikeme, Use of Pesticides in Cured

Fish in Nigeria. Proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Kisimu, Kenya, August 26-31, 1996, pp. 131-135.

26. Coker, T. and Ikeme, A.I., Use of Pesticides/Poisons by Nigeria

Fishermen. Proceedings of the FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Kisimu, Kenya, August 26-31, 1996, pp. 131-135.

27. A.I. Ikeme, Use of Onion and ginger juice extract in improving the

quality of hot-smoked meat. Nigeria J. Animal Production, Vol. 20, 2000.

151

28. Odigbo, G. O., P. O. Uvere, and A. I. Ikeme.( 2008). The Economics and Sensory Implications of Packaging Kilishi in Single Film. Meat Science. In press.

29. Odigbo, G. O., P. O. Uvere, and A. I. Ikeme.( 2008). Effects of

Packaging and Relative Humidity on the Moisture Content and Water Activity of Kilishi during Storage. Meat Science. In press.

30. Odigbo, G. O., P. O. Uvere, and A. I. Ikeme. (2008). Effects of Single

Film Packaging on the Protein And Lipid Content of Kilishi during Storage. Meat Science. In press.

31. Odigbo, G. O., P. O. Uvere, and A. I. Ikeme. (2008). The Role of

Ascorbic Acid and Tocoplerol in the Stability of Kikishi, a Low Moisture Traditional Meat Product. Agro-Science. In press.

Main line books, Ikeme, A.I. 1990: Meat Science and Technology: A Comprehensive

Approach. African-Fep. Publishers Limited. Ikeme, A.I. 1990: Challenges of Agriculture in National Development (Edited

by) A.I. Ikeme, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Onu V. C. and Ikeme A. I. 2008: Entrepreneurial Creativity for

Entrepreneurship Education: Multi Educational Service Trust (MEST). Nsukka, Nigeria.

Chapter in main line book 35. A.I. Ikeme and C.S. Bhandary, 1986: Fish smoking in Nigeria:

prospects, losses and methods of prevention. In: Post-Harvest Food Losses and their Control in the Tropics (Ed.) Ijere, M.O. & others. Centre for Rural Development and Cooperatives,University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

36. A.I. Ikeme and C.S. Bhandary, 1986: Salt curing and drying. In: Post-

Harvest Food Losses and their Control in the Tropics (Ed.) Ijere, M.O. & others. Centre for Rural Development and Cooperatives, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

37. A.I. Ikeme, 1986: Quality preservation of shell eggs. In: Post-Harvest

Food Losses and their Control in the tropics. (Ed.) Ijere, M.O. & others.

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Centre for Rural Development and Cooperatives, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

38. A.I. Ikeme, 1990: Poultry Industry in Nigeria: Prospects and Problems.

In: Challenges of Agriculture in National Development. (Ed.) A.I. Ikeme. Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

39. A.I. Ikeme and P.O. Uvere, 1995: Mobilizing Indigenous Technology

for Agricultural and Rural Development. In: Rural Development in Nigeria: Concepts, Processes and Prospects. (Ed.) E.C. Eboh, C.U. Okoye and D. Ayichi. Enugu Auto-Century Publishing Company.

Pamphlets 40. Ikeme Alex Ike, (2001). Saved by Grace. A Publication of United Aid

International. SNAAP Press Limited. 41. Ikeme Alex Ike, (2003). Adapting to Changes. A Publication of United

Aid International. Enugu. 42. Ikeme Alex Ike, (2006). Waiting on God. Black Belt Konzult Ltd

Enugu. CONFERENCES ATTENDED AND PAPERES PRESENTED 1. 70TH annual Meeting of the Poultry Science Association. University of

British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. Canada. August 3-7, 1981. Papers Presented • Extending the shell-life of broiler meat. A.I. Ikeme and W. J.

Stadelman. • Effect of lightning programmes on poultry yields. E.J. Stadelman,

R.D. Wesley, A.I. Ikeme, E.J. Furumoto and R.L. Adams. • Thermally processed hard cooked eggs. W.J. Stadelman, A.I. Ikeme,

R.A. Roop and S.E. Simmons. 2. 71st Annual Meeting of the Poultry Science Association. University of

California, Davis, August 9-13, 1982. Papers Presented • Flavour evaluation of chicken meat from Narasin fed broilers. A.R.

Rhorer, E.J. Furumoto R.D. Wesley, A.I. Ikeme, D.E. Pratt and W.J. Stadelman.

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3. 7th Annual Conference of Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology Federal University of Technology, Owerri, November 27-December1, 1983.

Paper Presented • Effect of oil treatment on the quantity of shell eggs. A.I. Ikeme and

H.U. Enelamah. 4. 72nd Annual Meeting of the Poultry Science Association. University of

Maryland August 8-12, 1983. Paper Presented • Meat evaluation of the Nigerian local chicken. A.I. Ikeme, C.C. Nwosu

and S.S. Omeje. 5. 9th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Society of Animal Production,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, March 25-29, 1984. Papers Presented • Effect of oil treatment on the lipid and protein content and overall

quality of eggs stored for long periods. A.I. Ikeme, V.C. Udoh and H.U. Enelamah.

• Shelf-life and acceptability of smoked mackerel. A.I. Ikeme, M.O. Carew and E.N. Onuchukwu.

6. 11th Annual Conference of the Genetic Society of Nigeria, University

of Calabar, December 5-8, 1983. Paper Presented • Meat evaluation of the Nigerian local chicken and their crosses. C.C.

Nwosu, A.I. Ikeme and S.S. Omeje. 7. 12th Annual Conference of the Genetic Society of Nigeria, University

of Ife, Ile-Ife, December 3-7, 1984. Paper Presented • Effects of genotype, age and egg size on measure of shell quality of

local and cross bred hens. C.C. Nwosu, S.S. Omeje and A.I. Ikeme. 8. 3rd FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Lusaka,

Zambia. January 21-25, 1985. Paper Presented • Extending the shelf-life of smoked mackerel. A.I. Ikeme. 9. 9th Annual Conference of Nigerian Institute of Food Science and

Technology, Kano, October 27-31, 1985.

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Papers Presented • Effect of oil treatment and storage temperature on some selected

physical and functional properties of shell eggs. A.I. Ikeme. • Effect of oil treatment and storage temperature on the quality and

promximate composition of eggs stored for long periods. A.I. Ikeme. 10. Workshop on Post-Harvest Food Losses and their Control, Centre for

Rural Development and Cooperatives, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, April 14-22, 1986.

Invited Paper • Fish smoking in Nigeria: Prospects, losses and methods of prevention.

In: post-Harvest Food Losses and their control in the Tropics. A.I. Ikeme and C.S. Bhandary.

• Salt curing and drying of fish. A.I. Ikeme and C.S. Bhandary. • Quality preservation of shell eggs. A.I. Ikeme. 11. Training Course on Financing and Management of Rural Development

and Cooperatives, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, November 23- December 4, 1987.

Invited Papers • Storage and Processing of Agricultural Produces. A.I. Ikeme. 12. A 2-week National Training Course for Fish Farmers and Extension

Staff, Centre for Rural Development and Cooperatives, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, January 11-22, 1998.

Invited Papers • Fish preservation – drying, smoking and salting techniques. A.I. Ikeme. 13. 4th FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Abidjan,

Cote d’ Ivoire, April 25-26, 1988. Papers Presented

• Effect of different methods of hot-smoking on the proximate composition, nutritional quality and acceptability of lean and fatty fish. A.I. Ikeme and A.C. Uwaegbute.

• Effect of smoking on product quality of hot-smoked mackerel. A.I.

Ikeme and H.C. Gugnani. • Studies on traditional and improved method of smoking of fish. C.S.

Bhandary and A.I. Ikeme.

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• Sun and solar drying of fresh water fish. Zak A. Obanu, A.I. Ikeme and

R.I.N. Awachi. • Processing characteristics and yield of some fishes of the River Niger in

Nigeria. Zak A. Obanu and A.I. Ikeme. • Control of lipid oxidation in smoked mackerel by hot-water onion

extract. A.I. Ikeme. 14. 8th Session – Committee of Inland Fisheries for Africa. Cairo, Egypt.

October 21-25, 1990. Invited Paper • FAO Cooperative Research on Fish Technology in Africa: A Review.

A.I. Ikeme. 15. FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Accra, Ghana,

October 22-25, 1991. Papers Presented • Characterization of traditional smoked-dried fish in Nigeria. A.I. Ikeme. • Studies on the fragmentability of smoked fish (Decapterus Punctatus

and Clarias Lazera). A.I. Ikeme. • Studies on brine preservation of fish and its effect on the organoleptic

quality. A.I. Ikeme. 16. FAO Expert Consultation on Fish Technology in Africa, Kisimu,

Kenya, August 27-31, 1996. Papers Presented • Characterization of Traditional Smoked Fish in Nigeria. A.I. Ikeme. • Use of Pesticides in Cured Fish in Nigeria. A.I. Ikeme. • Use of Pesticides/Poisons by Nigeria Fishermen. A.I. Ikeme. 17. Annual Conference Association of Psychiatric Doctors of Nigeria

(Calabar) October, 2003. Invited Presented • Adapting to Changes “Better Living, Less Stress”. A.I. Ikeme. 18. Distinguished Lecture. Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria,

Nsukka January 25, 2005. Papers Presented • Embracing the Challenge of Change. Ikeme, A.I. • Continuity and Change at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of

Nigeria, Nsukka. Ikeme, A.I.

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19 One-day workshop/seminar for Small and Medium –Scale Enterprises

(SMEs) on Sources of Funds, organized by the Anambra State Government. August, 2007

Invited Paper • “Entrepreneurship: Repositioning the Youth for Tomorrows Nigeria,” 20 HERAN, Home Economics Research Association of Nigeria, University

of Nigeria, Nsukka, 6th September, 2007. Invited Paper • Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Strategies. 21 ANUPA, Association of Nigerian University Professional

Administrators, Held at PAA, UNN, August 2007. Invited Paper • Entrepreneurship: Repositioning our Youths for Tomorrow’s Nigeria- A

key note address. 22 Female Undergraduate Students Conference, University of Nigeria,

Nsukka, 12th October, 2007. Invited Paper • Entrepreneurship Education - The Way Forward. 23. African Network for Prevention and Protection of Children against

Child Abuse (ANPPCAN) 1st November, 2007. Invited Paper • Developing Entrepreneurial Skills In Abused and Neglected

Children…..Insights. 24 Conference of Nigerian Psychological Association, University of

Nigeria, Nsukka, 14th - 16th November, 2007. Invited Paper • Creativity, Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Implications for Nigerian

Youths & Government. 25. Onitsha Ado Education Summit, December 27th 2007. Onitsha,

Anambra State. Invited Paper • Entrepreneurship: Repositioning our Youths for Tomorrow’s Nigeria.

157

26. Catholic Faith Forum Conference, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 9th February, 2008.

Invited Paper • Youth and Self Employment… Insights 27. Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nigeria,

Nsukka, 19th February, 2008. Invited Paper • Becoming and Entrepreneur through Food Science and Technology. 28. University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Small Scale Enterprises Start Up and

Management Techniques for Graduating Students, 13th March, 2008. Invited Paper • Who is an Entrepreneur… Insights.

158

APPENDIX II

160

MILESTONES

Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo & Prof. Ikeme signing M.O.U- CBN/CEDR/EDC Project.

A handshake – well deserved

161

Partners in Progress- Entrepreneurial Consultants from across the country

February 15th 2007- Guest Lecturer Prof. Famous Izedomni & Wife with hosts Prof. & Mrs Ikeme at the launching of CEDR, University of Nigeria.

162

CEDR Staff – Nsukka Campus

First graduates of the Business Enhancement Programme – November 27, 2007

163

Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) – We mentor and coach students

164

Prof. and his sister Chineze

Ma Cherie and Obiajulu

165

L to R – Uche, Ma Cherie, Prof, Obiajulu, Olisa, Ike Jr. with His son (grandchild to Prof), Brendan. Members of Ikeme’s family. Thanks-giving in the United States of America, April 2008.

166

Professor and Mrs. A. I. Ikeme (God is our Union)

innaugural lecture on poly -functional egg

Documents