Research Note: Comparative antibacterial activities of oil-palm Elaeis Guinnesis Jacq. (Palmae) nut and coconut- Cocos Nucifera L. (Palmae) shells pyrolysates.

Abstract

There are many industrial or plant waste products which can be examined for their probable use(s) medicinally.This work was carried out to examine the probable anti-bacterial effects of liquid pyrolysates obtained from oil palm nut and coconut shells.

The antimicrobial activities liquid pyrolysates (obtained by destructive distillation), their fractions (obtained by successive partitioning of each pyrolysate with hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate) were tested against clinical isolates and type bacteria. The anti microbial activities of the pyrolysates were compared with phenol.

All the organisms used showed remarkable sensitivities to the pyrolysates at 0.5ml (i.e.469mg of oil palm nut shell and 484mg of coconut shell). MIC and MBC of 0.02 ml (i.e.18.78mg of oil palm nut shell pyrolysate and 19.34mg of coconut shell pyrolysate) was obtained for the pyrolysates while their activities were observed to be comparable with phenol (0.01ml). The antibacterial activities of the samples appeared to be due to the components of their respective chloroform fractions which showed higher activities than the crude pyrolysates.

Thus, the pyrolysates obtained from oil palm kernel and coconut shells have a substantial antibacterial potential which are yet to be fully examined and made into appropriate useful products.

Ife Journal of Science Vol.6(1) 2004: 91-94