Antimicrobial Activity of Clitoria ternatea (L.) Extracts

Abstract

Summary The antimicrobial activities of the methanol extracts of the leaf, stems, flower, seed and roots of Clitoria ternatea were studied. The extracts of C. ternatea were tested in vitro against 12 bacterial species, 2 yeast species, and 3 filamentous fungal by the agar diffusion and broth dilution methods. The leaf and root extracts were found to be most effective against all of the tested organisms (p < 0.05). The MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration), MBC (minimum bactericidal concentration) and MFC (minimum fungicidal activity) values of C. ternatea extracts ranged from 0.3 mg/ml to 100.00 mg/ml.. The C. ternatea extracts were also screened for tannin, phlobatannin, flavonoid, antharaquinone, alkaloid, saponin, cardiac glycosides, volatile oils, steroids and terpenoids. The anthraquinone and saponin were absent in all the plant material investigated. Hence, C. ternatea can be used to discover bioactive natural products that may serve as leads in the development of new pharmaceuticals in food preservation as well as natural plant-based medicine.