Antimicrobial, Phytochemical and Dyeing Activities of Some Common Household Vegetables

Abstract

Any substance that is active against microbes is known as an antimicrobial. Vegetables owe their antimicrobial properties majorly to secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, glycosides, tannins and volatile oils present within& other properties like dyeing due to their coloured pigments. This study aims to understand these properties of some of the common vegetables and how they can be exploited. The plant extracts were prepared using two solvent- Ethanol and Distilled water in order to extract the bioactive compounds. The three household vegetables used were – Spinach (Spinacea oleracia), Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) & Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum). These extracts were then tested for their antimicrobial activity against two organisms Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, isolated from the sewage & meat sample respectively. After isolation and confirming the organism strain antimicrobial activity was evaluated by using Agar well diffusion method, using antibiotics as standards. Zones of inhibition were observed on sterile Muller Hinton’s agar which was then recorded. Thus this study emphasizes that consumption of these vegetables can help to improve our immune system for better immunity towards some common pathogens and have various nutritional and pharmaceutical applications. Also presence of phytochemical constituents like Saponins, Tannins, Flavonoids, Phenol and Vitamin-C in vegetable samples were confirmed by specific phytochemical tests. Dyeing property of the extracts were also evaluated by dipping two sample pieces of cloth – cotton & styrofoam in the extracts for 24 hrs. after which it’s colour was observed and recorded.