Synergistic Effect of Some Essential Oil Extracted from Three Nigeria Spices against Some Pathogenic Organisms

Abstract

Introduction: Essential oils of plants and their other products from secondary metabolism have had a great usage in folk medicine, food flavoring, fragrance, and pharmaceutical industries.
 Aims: This study sought to evaluate the phytochemical properties of the oil extracted from the medicinal plants such as; clove, turmeric and black pepper, as well as to determine the antimicrobial effect of essential oil of clove against selected pathogens.
 Methodology: Qualitative phytochemical screening of the oil extracted from the plant samples (clove, turmeric and black pepper) was determined using standard method, oil was extracted from the medicinal plant samples, and antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed with the oil extracts in various concentrations against the test organisms.
 Results: The qualitative phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, phenols, and saponins in clove, turmeric and black pepper oil samples; however, tannins, glycosides, and flavonoids are present in clove oil, and saponins, flavonoids, and terpenoids were abundantly present in turmeric oil sample. The synergistic antimicrobial susceptibility assay of clove with turmeric and black pepper oil is more pronounced against the test bacterial with the highest zone of inhibition of 46.00 mm against Escherichia coli. The combination of essential oil of clove and black pepper oil inhibited Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida albicans and Streptococcus spp., except Pseudomonas aeruginosa which shows antagonistic effect.
 Conclusion: Spices such as clove, turmeric and black pepper have exhibited significant antimicrobial activities against intestinal bacteria like S. aureus, Klebsiella spp., E. coli, C. albicans, P. aeruginosa and Streptococcus spp. Therefore, these spices could be used to decrease the possibility of food poisoning, to increase the food safety and shelf-life of products, and to treat some infectious diseases.