Phytochemical Analysis and Effect of Myristica fragrans Extract on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated from Automated Teller Machine, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India

Aims: Plants produce compounds known as secondary plant products, as they are not required for the survival of plants. Earlier it was thought that these compounds were only the waste product of metabolism in plants but later it was found that they have important functions. These phytochemicals possess the ability to combat pathogenic bacteria and lethal diseases. These phytochemicals even don’t have the same side effects as modern medications. So the objective was to analyze the phytochemicals and antimicrobial activity of a traditional herb Myristica fragrans (nutmeg).

Study Design: Quantitative analysis of raw seed powder of M. fragrans was done for moisture content and solubility in water and 70% ethanol. Phytochemical analysis was conducted for both water and 70% ethanolic extract. Beside this the antimicrobial activity of both water and ethanolic extract was analyzed for gram-positive (S. aureus) and gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria isolated from ATM of Bikaner, Rajasthan.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the laboratory of MN College and Research Institute, Bikaner, Rajasthan (https://www.mncollegebkn.com/) for the period of 2 months (May and June).

Methodology: Moisture content and solubility of M. fragrans was determined using the procedure given by B.C. O’Kelly and Elena (2012). The extraction of powdered seeds of M. fragrans was done following the procedure of Ozakiet al. [1] with slight modification. Alkaloid content of both the extracts was determined using the method given by Harbone [2]. Tannins and phenol contents were analyzed using the method given by Tomar and Shrivastava [3]. Beside this the saponin content was analyzed using two methods (TLC and foam method) given by Ginovyan et al. [4] and Mendhekar et al. [5] respectively. Further the antimicrobial activity of both the extracts for S. aureus and E. coli were determined using the method given by Ibrahim et al. [6].

Results: Quantitative analysis of raw seed powder showed high moisture content and solubility in water and ethanol. The extraction process in 70% ethanol and water yielded extracts containing alkaloids, saponins, tannins, and phenols in the ethanolic extract, while the water extract contained alkaloids and saponins but lacked tannins and phenols. The ethanolic extract exhibited higher alkaloid content compared to the water extract, with percentages of 13.25% and 7.14% respectively. Notably, the ethanolic extract demonstrated significant effectiveness against both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria, which were of human origin (isolated from ATM).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that phytochemicals found in seeds of nutmeg have antimicrobial activity and can effectively combat pathogenic bacteria.