Comparative analyses of phytochemicals and antimicrobial properties of extracts of wild Tamarindus indica pulps

Abstract

Tamarindus indica L. (Tamarind), an underutilised fruit tree which belongs to the Leguminosae family, grows wild in the savannah region of Nigeria. T. indica pulp was obtained from 19 towns of the 20 savannah states of Nigeria. The methanol and hexane crude extracts obtained from it pulps were evaluated in vitro to determine their inhibition activities on human pathogenic microorganisms made up of five bacteria and three fungi. All the bacterial strains were sensitive to both extracts at concentrations ranging from 25 to 125 mg/ml, using the agar broth cup diffusion procedure. Only the hexane extract exhibited intrinsic antifungal properties on Penicillium species. Preliminary phytochemical screening of both extracts indicated the presence of alkaloids and tannins. Both the antimicrobial and phytochemical properties of the extracts of the pulp varied for locations of the tamarind. Natural products present in tamarind pulp have potential of being used as agents for animals and/or plants protector against pathogenic microorganisms.