Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of ethanol and water extracts of Cymbopogon jwarancusa (Jones.) leaves.

ABSTRACT

The Cymbopogon jwarancusa (Jones.) leaves extracts were explored for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The ethanol extract showed highest antioxidant activity in DPPH (31.99 ± 0.50 % inhibition) and FRAP (38.79 ± 0.54 Fe (II) micromole per litre) assay while water extract showed highest antioxidant activity in βCL (54.76 ± 1.37 %) at 1mg/10ml concentration. BHT and ascorbic acid were used as standards. During antimicrobial assay, the ethanol extract found was very effective against Fusarium oxyporium f.sp-lini (85.31 ± 0.25 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (94.37 ± 0.28 mm) at 500 ppm while water extract was found less effective against Aspergillus flavus (03.72 ± 0.19 mm) at 100 ppm concentration. The ethanol extract can be used for the applications such as food preservation as a remedy and against dental diseases.