GC–MS analysis and antibacterial activities of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts on selected clinical bacterial isolates

Abstract

Aqueous and ethanol extractions from Moringa oleifera yielded 40.75% and 62.87%, respectively. Flavonoid (20.76 mg/100 g) was the highest, while saponin (2.00 mg/100 g) was the least of all phytochemicals detected. The proximate nutrient composition revealed that carbohydrate (46.59%) had the highest, while lipid (7.37%) was the least. Eleven compounds were detected in both extracts by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The eleven compounds identified had higher concentrations in the ethanol extract except 2-octenoic (26.09 mg/kg) acid and 1, 2-epoxyhexadecane (8.84 mg/kg) in aqueous extract which were considerably higher than 0.62 mg/kg and < 0.01 mg/kg in ethanol extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration were 6.25 mg/ml against the test organisms for ethanol extract.