J. P. Mtimuni's research while affiliated with University of Zimbabwe and other places

... The seeds are toxic to humans [9,43] with symptoms of giddiness, vomiting, delirium, muscle shock, decrease of visual capacity, high pulse rate and diarrhoea [44,45,46]. In animals toxic symptoms were reported when raw or defatted seeds were forcefed to chicks [47,48], pigs [49,50], sheep and goats [51,52], rabbits [43], mice and rats [53,15,51], carp Cyprinus carpio [44]. In rabbits, [43] observed symptoms of diarrhea, hemorrhagic eyes and inflammation of the gtract at 6-, 9-and 13.5-ml kg−1 BW. ...

... For instance, poultry exposed to Jatropha meal have exhibited signs of toxicity, as evidenced by studies conducted on chickens [24]. Likewise, pigs fed with Jatropha-derived feed have displayed unfavorable physiological responses, underscoring the potential hazards associated with its use in animal husbandry practices [25]. Additionally, investigations into the effects of Jatropha on aquatic organisms have revealed deleterious impacts on fish populations, further highlighting the wide-ranging consequences of exposure to this plant species [18]. ...

... The maximum GSI reported for males in the west coast is concurrent with earlier study 9 ; however, the male GSI values differ between two geographical regions under study. These differences in GSI with region among the same species could be attributed to temperature 36 and feed availability 37 . ...

... As detected in our data, the decrease in the number and size of vitellogenic follicles can lead to long-term problems in the size and dynamics of fish populations (Arantes et al. 2013). Besides physical barriers interrupting the reproductive migration processes of fish, the thermal and/or hydrological conditions of these artificial reservoirs are inefficient in stimulating the final spawning process of other migratory fish species that inhabit these lentic environments (Parkinson et al. 1999;Kamanga et al. 2004;Arantes et al. 2011). In the present study, this fact was corroborated by the absence of postovulatory follicles in fish ovaries from the lentic environment, which consequently resulted in a four-fold higher rate of follicular atresia than in ovaries collected in the lotic environment. ...

... Therefore, it is imperative to detoxify kernel meal prior to its optimum utilization in animal feeds. Three different techniques have been used by researchers to detoxify the toxic compounds in Jatropha seed cake or kernel meal (Phengnuam and Suntornsuk, 2013) such as physical methods by heat treatment and irradiation Sanap et al., 2018;Diwani et al., 2011;Gogoi et al., 2014), chemical treatment (Martínez-Herrera et al., 2006;Chivandi et al., 2006;Aregheore et al., 2003;Makkar and Becker, 2010;Brooker, 2011;Fawole et al., 2018) and microbial fermentation (solid state fermentation) using fungi (Shamna et al., 2015;Belewu and Sam, 2010;de Barros et al., 2011;Kasuya et al., 2012;Najjar et al., 2014) and bacteria (Joshi et al., 2011;Phengnuam and Suntornsuk, 2013). A varying degree of success has been reported through these detoxification approaches. ...

... Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the detoxification process without compromising the nutritional quality of J. curcas and its co-products. Jatropha detoxification methods that combine solvents (e.g., hexane-ethanol system) and extrusion or wet heat treatment, can reduce up to 90% of PE content (Chivandi et al. 2004;Mendonça et al. 2012), with few changes in nutritional quality. ...

... Furthermore, the differentiation of meat cuts in cattle takes into account factors such as cattle breed, age, climate, husbandry practices, feeding patterns and the level of physical activity during the animal's life (Geletu et al., 2021). In research conducted by Ndebele et al. (2005), the study aimed to examine the influence of seasonal changes on the amount of calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in soil, forage and cattle meat cuts. ...