ABSTRACT
Objective: To compare the phytochemical and antimicrobial activity of Ethiopian Kale leaves infusions, investigate the antioxidant activity and profile the major phytochemicals existing in the better solvent system. Methods: Ethiopian Kale leaves were collected from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and extracted using different solvents. The qualitative phytochemical analysis, antibacterial assays, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis are executed for all extracts. Antioxidant assay and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis are carried out for the solvent system, which showed better activity in preliminary studies. Results: The qualitative phytochemical analysis exposed the presence of different classes of phytoconstituents in most of the tested extracts. The broad spectrum of antibacterial activity (7–15 mm) was noted against the tested bacterial species. The functional groups of the extracts are reported by FTIR analysis. The antioxidant ability of ethanol extract was found to be (62.92 ± 0.34)% for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH*) assay and (71.12 ± 0.41)% for 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assay. More than 17 major phytocompounds in ethanol extract were profiled by GC–MS analysis. Conclusion: The ethanol extract of Ethiopian Kale leaves contain a good source of phytochemicals and it can be a significant source for various functional applications.