Background: The therapeutic benefits of fermented foods in the treatment and prevention of Type 2 diabetes mellitus have been reported. Aim: Inhibitory effect of fermented rice beverages on α-amylase, α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase was evaluated. Method: Two fermented rice beverages-fermented rice alone (FKR) and fermented rice plus roasted peanuts (FKRG) were produced using spontaneous fermentation. Capacity of the beverages to inhibit al-pha-glucosidase, alpha-amylase and pancreatic lipase in vitro was evaluated and compared with standards (positive controls). Results: FKR exerted inhibition of α-glucosidase between 9.23-21.11% and FKRG 1.11-17.36% at the various concentrations respectively, with both samples showing the most significant inhibition (about 20%) at 125 μg/mL. FKRG exhibited greater alpha-amylase inhibition activity than FKR, but for both samples, the most significant (P < 0.05) inhibition occurred at 500 μg/mL. With pancreatic lipase, no significant inhibition was observed for both FKR and FKRG at the tested concentrations compared to Orlistat used as control; how-ever, at 31.25 μg /mL FKRG showed an inhibitory effect of approximately 15%, which was not evident at higher concentrations. Conclusion: Low to moderate inhibition of α-amylase, α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase by both FKR and FKRG, showed that the fermented rice beverages have potential to modulate hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes in vitro. This is an indi-cation that fermented rice beverage could prevent postprandial hyperglycemia in vivo.

Protein bioavailability and digestibility are critical for animal growth and health and are influenced by source and processing methods. This study investigated the effects of diets incorporating processed Clupea harengus (herring) fillets and by-products (heads, bones, viscera) prepared by charcoal, wood, or poaching on growth performance, protein quality, hematology, and blood biochemistry in Wistar rats. Forty rats were randomly allocated to eight dietary groups: charcoal-smoked fillet (CSFBD), wood-smoked fillet (WSFBD), poached fillet (PFD), charcoal-smoked by-products (CSHB), wood-smoked by-products (WSHB), poached by-products (PSF), soybean-based positive control, and basal negative control. Diets were fed for 28 days. Smoked by-product diets (CSHB and WSHB) produced significantly higher final body weights (120.86 ± 0.68 g and 105.52 ± 19.94 g) and weight gains (9.14 ± 1.39 g, p ≤ 0.05) than the basal diet (59.55 ± 1.37 g and 5.35 ± 0.25 g). Smoked diets improved feed intake, feed conversion ratio, apparent protein digestibility, and biological value. Hematological parameters remained within physiological ranges across groups; the soybean diet showed the highest RBC (7.8 × 10¹²/L) and hemoglobin (16.3 g/dL), whereas smoked fish diets recorded slightly lower but normal values (RBC 7.0-7.5 × 10¹²/L; hemoglobin 14-15 g/dL). Biochemical profiles revealed that smoked diets reduced serum triglycerides and creatinine, suggesting enhanced lipid metabolism and renal function. Smoking significantly improves the nutritional quality of Clupea harengus fillets and by-products, making them practical, safe, and growth-promoting protein sources for animal nutrition. Inclusion of smoked fish by-products offers a sustainable alternative to conventional plant proteins while supporting metabolic and systemic health