Antimicrobial activities of African joint fir (Gnetum africanum Welw.) on bacteria isolated from “Wara”, a highly prized and consumed local Nigerian cheese

Abstract

The potential of Gnetum. africanum extracts as natural antimicrobial agents in the production of “wara”, a traditional and commonly consumed Nigerian snack, was investigated in this study. "Wara" samples were purchased from markets in Lagos and Osun States respectively. Serial dilution and pour plate techniques were used to isolate Gram-positive (73.3%) and Gram-negative (26.7%) bacteria of which the majority were susceptible to standard antibiotics used in the study. Micrococcus halobius, Paenibacillus pectinilyticus, and Bacillus pumilus however showed resistance to the drug samples. Phytochemical screening of G. africanum leaf extracts revealed the presence of several phytocompounds. Methanol extracts showed maximum antibacterial activity with 15 mm zone of inhibition while chloroform extracts showed the least value with a 9 mm zone of inhibition. Citrobacter freundii showed highest overall susceptibility to the applied G. africanum extracts. The results showed that G. africanum leaf extracts is a promising organic antibacterial agent useful in the preparation of the local cheese snack, "wara".