Abstract
Moringa oleifera, commonly known as Moringa, is an extraordinarily nutritious vegetable tree with a variety of potentially medicinal benefits, also referred to as the Miracle tree due to its multiple uses. The leaves of Moringa oleifera are high in phenolic compounds, which act as antimicrobials and antioxidants. Antioxidant phenolic compounds may stabilize free radicals by compensating for their electron deficiency. Consumption of polyphenol-rich plants as a dietary component provides protection against such cell damage. The present study explores the antimicrobial, antioxidant ability, total phenolic content (TP) and total flavonoid content (TF) of different extracts prepared from leaves of Moringa oleifera grown locally Saudi Arabia. Higher TP, TF and antioxidant activity have been demonstrated by methanol extracts followed by di ethyl ether solvents. The present study indicates that all extracts may, to some degree; act as radical scavengers due to the existence of polyphenolic compounds. Additionally, Methanol extracts showed significant inhibitory activity against food poisoning bacteria Shigella sonnei 19 +/- 1.73, Klebsiella pneumonia17.33 +/- 0.57 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 17.00 +/- 6.93. The di ethyl ether extracts showed lower activity. Data provided in this study show that Moringa oleifera leaves have great potential for the development of food preservatives and antibiotic drugs. In conclusion the Methanolic solvent could be reasonable choice for antioxidant compounds extraction and the potential uses of M. oleifera as alternative natural preservatives in food products.