“COMPARATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILING AND IN VITRO ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF ALCOHOLIC LEAF EXTRACTS OF MORINGA OLEIFERA AND AEGLE MARMELOS AGAINST BREVUNDIMONAS DIMUTA”

Abstract

Background: The increasing prevalence of foodborne bacterial contamination and growing concerns regarding antimicrobial resistance have intensified the search for natural antimicrobial agents from medicinal plants . Fresh fruits and vegetables may serve as vehicles for bacterial contamination, highlighting the need for effective and neutral approaches to microbial control. Medicinal plants contain diverse bioactive phytochemicals with potential antibacterial properties. Aim : The present study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition and antimicrobial activity of alcoholic leaf extracts of Moringa oleifera and Aegle marmelos  against Brevundimonas spp. isolated from fresh fruit samples. Methods : Alcoholic leaf extracts of Moringa oleifera and Aegle marmelos were prepared using standard extraction procedures. Qualitative phytochemical screening was performed, including alkaloids, terpenoids, and glycosides. The antibacterial activity of the extracts against Brevundimonas spp. was evaluated using the agar well diffusion method  at 25%, 50% 75%,100% concentrations. Zone of inhibitions  were measured in millimetres using an antimicrobial zone measuring scale. Streptomycin was used as the standard antibiotic. Results : Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of several bioactive constituents in both plant extracts, including alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, and glycosides. Both extracts demonstrated antibacterial activity against Brevundimonas spp. The Moringa oleifera extract produced zones of inhibition of 22, 21, 20, and 19 mm at 100%, 75%, concentrations, while both extracts showed comparable activity at 50% and 25 %. Conclusions : The findings demonstrate that alcoholic leaf extracts of Moringa oleifera  and Aegle marmelos possess promising antibacterial activity against Brevundimonas spp. isolated from fresh fruits. The observed activity may be associated with the presence and combined effects of bioactive phytochemical constituents. These findings suggest that both medicinal plants may represent potential sources of natural antibacterial agents for controlling bacterial contamination in fresh produce. Further studies involving minimum inhibitory concentration determination, quantitative phytochemical analysis , and characterization of individual bioactive compounds are warranted.