Browsing by Author "Muruke, M. H. S."

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    Coastal resources utilization and conservation issues in Bagamoyo, Tanzania
    (1998) Semesi, A. K.; Mgaya, Yunus D.; Muruke, M. H. S.; Francis, Julius; Mtolera, Matern; Msumi, G.
    A study was carried out to provide information about the importance of the management of coastal resources in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The results showed that the coral reefs at Mwamba Kuni and Mshingwi are the main fishing grounds for the artisanal fishermen. Trawlers compete and conflict with artisanal fishermen. The mangroves provide habitats for fish and other animals and are a source of fuelwood, charcoal, fishing stakes, building materials, and traditional medicines. Solar salt production is also an important activity. Although Bagamoyo depends on renewable resources, the harvesting rates of most resources are not known. Habitat destruction and overexploitation of resources have resulted in declining catches. There is unawareness among the resource users of the linkages between the various coastal ecosystems, but they do have vast traditional knowledge about the resources. In this article, we present the crustacean resources, fish, sea cucumbers, mangrove products, coral reefs, tourism, and salt production activities.
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    Production of Lactic Acid from Waste Sisal Stems Using a Lactobacillus Isolate
    (2006) Muruke, M. H. S.; Hosea, Ken M.; Pallangyo, A.; Heijthuijsen, J. H. F. G.
    Suitability of waste sisal stems as substrate for industrial production of lactic acid was studied. Local bacteria were isolated and screened for growth and lactic acid production from inulin, a polymeric carbohydrate present in the sisal stems. Four bacterial isolates were found to grow and produce lactic acid from sisal stem inulin. The best isolate, coded LAB4 produced 49g/L lactic acid from 150g/L sisal stem medium after 96 hours fermentation at optimal conditions (pH 6.5 and a temperature of 42°C). Furthermore, lactic acid production increased by 33% when calcium carbonate (5% final concentration) was included in the medium. Supplementation with yeast extract (0.05 - 0.2% final concentration) did not significantly affect lactic acid production. Preliminary morphological and physiological studies indicate that strain LAB4 belongs to the genus Lactobacillus. From these initial results, we propose both the bacterial isolate LAB4 and the waste sisal stems for further studies on industrial scale lactic acid production.