Purpose: To investigate the seed oils of
Corchorus olitorius
and
Hibiscus sabdariffa
for their antioxidant and antimicrobial potential.
Methods: The physicochemical characteristics of oil of the plant seeds were determined using standard methods while their volatile compounds were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometery (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity of these oils was determined using 2,2-Diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method, and their antimicrobial effect was determined by agar dilution method.
Results: Phospholipids, carotenoids and phenols contents of the studied seed oils were approximately 2.0 %, 100 mg/100g and 6.7 mg/100g, respectively. GC-MS analysis of the volatile compounds showed the presence of various aromatic and aliphatic organic compounds while the antioxidant activity of the oils was in the range of 0 to 5 g/l, which was higher than that of ascorbic acid. The seed oils also showed antimicrobial activity against
Staphylococcus aureus
,
Aspergillus fumigatus
and
Trichophyton mentagrophytes
with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 250.0 and 62.5 mg/ml for
C. olitorius and
H. sabdariffa seed oils, respectively.
Conclusion: C. olitorius and
H. sabdariffa seed oils showed pronounced antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. These characteristics should be exploited for possible applications in the food supplement, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
