ABSTRACT
Clove and cardamom were powdered and extracted with high polarity solvents, diethyl ether, ethanol and distilled water at room temperature. Radical scavenging activity of dried diethyl ether, ethanol and water extracts of clove and cardamom were compared with butylated hydroxyl anisole [BHA]. The scavenging activity of clove ethanol extract was significantly higher than that of a cardamom ethanol extract. Ethanol extract showed significantly higher radical-scavenging activity than the other extracts did. It should be noted that no significant differences were found between scavenging activities of clove ethanol extract and BHA. Clove ethanol extract showed marked reducing power in potassium ferricy anide reduction method. The reducing power of clove ethanol extract was higher than cardamom ethanol extract. Antibacterial activity of ether, ethanol, and water extracts was evaluated by agar well-diffusion method against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and compared with antibiotic chloramphenicol. The ethanol extract of clove performed high antibacterial activity than the same extract of cardamom against all tested bacteria. The greatest antibacterial activity was performed by the ethanol extract of clove against Staphylococcus aurous with higher diameter of inhibition than that of chloramphenicol. No significant differences were detected between the antibacterial activity of chloramphenicol and ethanol extract of clove against Listeria mo11ocytogenes [the diameter of inhibition zone 20.3 and 20.8 respectively]. The Minimal inhibitory concentration, [MIC] of the most active extracts of clove and cardamom was also performed. The gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aurous and Listeria monocytogenes were more sensitive than gram-negative bacteria Salmonella enteric to the clove and cardamom ether extract and clove ethanol extract. The results obtained indicate that clove and cardamom may become important in the obtainment of a noticeable source of compounds with health protective potential and antimicrobial activity