First ever report on the antimicrobial activities of some selected mangrove halophytes of Sundarban against milk spoilage microflora

Abstract

The study was governed by the objective of investigating the antimicrobial effects of mangrove leaf extracts. The fresh and dried leaf extracts from Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh., Avicennia officinalis L., Aegiceras corniculatum (L.) Blanco, Aegialitis rotundifolia Roxb., Acanthus ilicifolius L, Lumnitzera racemosa Willd., Excoecaria agallocha L. and Sonneratia apetala Buch-Ham. were found to have inhibitory effects on the milk spoilage microflora obtained from curd sample. Methanol and Acetone were used as extraction solvents and in comparison, extracts by acetone were observed to suppress the microbial growth to lesser extents. Leaf extracts of A. marina, A. officinalis L. racemosa and A. rotundifolia were able to exert relatively greater inhibitory effect on the milk spoilage microbial broth than others, although all the species expressed some degree of suppression. Interestingly A. rotundifolia, S. apetala, L. racemosa and E. agallocha demonstrated greater efficiency in formation of larger growth inhibition zones on the petri plates. The extracts obtained from dry leaves produced greater adverse effects of the microbes than the raw leaf extracts. The data generated were analyzed with the help of 'ANOVA: Single factor' and 'F-test: Two sample for variance' and data sets were of statistical significance at 0.05 level of significance as null hypothesis was rejected.