Food safety is a critical aspect of public health, encompassing the hygienic quality and absence of harmful microorganisms or toxins in food products. In Libreville, Gabon’s bustling economic hub, food markets range from traditional stalls to modern supermarkets. This study evaluates the microbiological quality of chicken, the most consumed food item among Libreville residents, by assessing contamination levels with Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus spp. Twenty-one chicken samples, including wings, thighs, and drumsticks, were randomly collected from various retail outlets. Microbiological analyses revealed contamination in all samples, with bacterial loads exceeding international safety thresholds. Wings exhibited the highest levels of contamination, potentially due to poor hygiene practices and frequent handling. Antibiotic susceptibility tests demonstrated resistance to multiple antibiotics, though no extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production was observed. Resistance was most pronounced in E. coli and Staphylococcus spp. for sulfamides and cefotaxime. The findings underscore the urgent need for improved food safety practices in Libreville’s markets, highlighting the health risks associated with chicken consumption. This study calls for enhanced regulatory oversight, public awareness campaigns, and the adoption of stringent hygiene measures to safeguard consumers from foodborne illnesses.

Woody amendments based on Fragmented Ramial Wood (FRW) could constitute a viable alternative in order to alleviate soil fertility problems. Our study aims to assess the influence of FRW from Piliostigma reticulatum (D.C.) Hochst on the dynamics of weed biomass and the agronomic performance of sorghum and residual soil quality in a Sudano-Sahelian context. The study was located in central Burkina Faso. The experimental design was organised into 4 completely randomised Fisher blocks with eight (8) treatments each: Absolute Control (AC), Manure (M), Combined Crops (CC), Urea (N), FRW used alone (FRW), FRW+Manure (FRW+M), FRW+Combined Crops (FRW+CC), FRW+Urea (FRW+N). The results showed that the FRW+F treatments were significantly the most competitive in terms of improving moisture content (+32.62%), infiltration (+49.73%), soil density (+8.29%), pH (+11.29%), soil macrofaunal density (+91.75%), and soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content. Sorghum growth was greater under F treatments (+84.93%). Furthermore, weed biomass was lower on plots with FRW than on plots without FRW, with the exception of the FRW+N treatment. Weed biomass remains negatively correlated with carbon and nitrogen content and plant growth (under F). This practice deserves to be optimised for sustainable soil conservation in the Sudano-Sahelian context.

The present work aims to evaluate the agronomic performances of F1 hybrids of group 1 (F1 / G1) of tomato (S. lycopersicum L.) and their parental lines grown in soil enriched with manure in open fields in Kisangani in order to contribute to the improvement of tomato productivity on the one hand and recycling of waste from pig farming (pig manure) to combat environmental pollution on the other hand. It took place from July to October 2015 in the premises of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Kisangani. To achieve this objective, an experimental culture of a randomized block design was carried out during which observations and analyses focused on quantitative characteristics including plant size, number of flowers, number of fruits, fruit weight, number of seminal locules, fruit shape index and number of seeds in the F1 hybrids of the group (F1/G1) and their parental lines. The results obtained showed that: All F1 hybrids generally showed hybrid vigor for most quantitative traits compared to the parental populations. - Regarding plant height, it follows that the F1/G1 hybrids are taller (120.35 cm) than the parental lines (P1: 115.26 cm and P2: 88.36 cm). - Regarding flower production, the F1/G1 hybrids produced more flowers (67.7) than the parental populations (P1: 52.3 and P2: 50.5). - For fruit production, it is found that the F1/G1 hybrids set more (33.06) than the parental lines (P1: 28.63 and P2: 29.66). - It also appears that the fruits of the F1/G1 hybrids perform better in terms of average fruit weight (29.34g) than the parents (P1: 14.21g and P2: 15.33g). - It is clear that the F1/G1 hybrids produced tomato fruits with a higher average number of locules (3.46) than the male parent (3.26) and lower than the female parent (4.6). - It is observed that the fruits of the F1 hybrids are round (IF: 0.84) like the fruits of the male parent (IF: 0.91). On the other hand, the fruits of the female parent are flattened (IF: 0.73). - It is also clear that the fruits of the hybrid plants developed more total seeds (F1: 130.23) than the parents (P1: 88.86 and P2: 116.43). Statistical analysis shows that at the 5% significance level (α=0.05), for size, number of flowers, number of fruits, fruit weight, fruit width, fruit length, number of locules, number of seeds and shape index: F.pr ≤ α which means that the difference is significant between the parents and the F1/G1 hybrids.