Antimicrobial Activity of Methanol and Aqueous Extracts of Dacryodes Edulis Against Food Borne Microbes

Abstract

Background: Food spoilage and food losses are important issues for human beings with regards to food safety and food security, since people started producing and storing food products. Objective: This study was designed to examine the antimicrobial effect of extracts from Dacryodes edulis. Methods: Ten grams of Dacryodes edulis was extracted in 100 ml of distilled water, hot water and methanol. The extracts were sieved using cheese cloth then centrifuged, and afterward filtered using Whatman no 1 filter paper. These extract solutions (100%) were diluted with water to give 75% concentration of the extracts while distilled water served as control. The phytochemical screening was carried out to check for the bioactive compounds present in the plant extract. The isolation of the organisms from the spoilt beef and chicken was done using standard method. Thereafter, the organisms were sub-cultured in
other to obtain a pure culture. The identified organisms are Salmonella enterica, Proteus vulgaris, Citrobacter freundii, Trycophyton and Cladosporium. These organisms were then subjected to antimicrobial activity of the methanol and aqueous extract using the agar well diffusion method. The data obtained were analyzed using ANOVA via SPSS. Results: The identified organisms are Citrobacter freundii, Salmonella enterica, Proteus vulgaris, Trycophyton and Cladosporium. The screening of the extracts of Dacryodes edulis indicated the presence of phenol, alkaloid, glycoside, steroid, quinon, terpenoid, antraquinon, and flavonoid. The results showed antibacterial and antifungal activity of both methanol and aqueous extracts of D. edulis. Conclusion: The extracts of D. edulis showed antimicrobial activity and activities of the extracts were dose dependent. Hence the extracts might be used in preservation of food. against Salmonella enterica, Proteus vulgaris, Citrobacter freundii, Trycophyton and Cladosporium.