Background: Currently, there is an increasing interest in developing more efficient techniques for the extraction
of phytochemicals. Microwaves and ultrasonic extraction methods are promising techniques that can be used
for this purpose. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of different extraction
methods on yield, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of volatile oil extracted from Trichodesma africanum.
Materials and Methods: Volatile oil was extracted using microwave, ultrasonic, microwave-ultrasonic,
and conventional hydrodistillation methods. The extracted oil was evaluated for antioxidant and antimicrobial
activities. The antioxidant activity was assessed by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging assay, whereas
the antimicrobial activity was assessed by broth microdilution method. The antimicrobial activity of the
volatile oils was examined against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
American type culture collection reference strains, as well as against methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA)
and Candida albicans clinical isolates. Results: The volatile oil obtained by the four extraction methods in
this study exhibited both antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Among the four extraction methods used,
the microwave-ultrasonic method yielded the largest amount (1.8% v/w) and the yield exhibited the highest
antioxidant activity in terms of inhibition (91.83% ± 1.1). The minimum inhibitory concentrations for E. coli,
P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, MRSA, and C. albicans were 3, 5, 6, 3, and 9, respectively. Conclusion: Among
the extraction techniques used in this study, the microwave-ultrasonic method showed the best results.
Moreover, this study suggests that T. africanum volatile oils contain active substances that could potentially
be used both as natural preservatives in food and pharmaceutical industries as well as in developing new
antimicrobial and antioxidant agents.

Title

Journal of Intercultural Ethnopharmacology

Publisher

SAGEYA

Publisher Country

Palestine

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

None

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

5

Year

2016

Pages

250-256