| This thesis presents a proprietary formulation and method of preparation for a natural antimicrobial agent found in an everyday food. Therefore the precise materials and methods are not revealed here, but will be disclosed in future publications. In this regard, the names of the plants used are referred to as plant X and plant Y. The plant different tissues of the plant are referred to as portion A and portion B. The microbial extraction solvents are referred to as solvent 1, solvent 2, solvent 3, solvent 4 and solvent 5. The antimicrobial compounds found in the extracts are referred to as compound 1, compound 2, compound 3, compound 4, compound 5, compound 6 and compound 7. The one known antimicrobial agent (KAMA) that is known to exist in this plant and which is not a part of our extraction or set of compounds will be referred to as KAMA. Continued use of antimicrobial agents has led to the development of resistant strains of bacteria. Hence, there is a constant need for development of novel antimicrobial agents. Many plants have been used in folk medicine due their medicinal properties. The Plant X genus has many such medicinal sources due to its natural product KAMA, a known fungicidal and antimicrobial agent. In this thesis we look at two species of plants from the genus Plant X. One of the plants is Plant X also known as the Plant X and the other Plant Y known as the Plant Y. Both of these contain KAMA in their husk, leaves and bark. The Plant X portion A has antimicrobial properties but there has been no evidence of KAMA being the responsible agent. Here, we developed a new extraction procedure using the Plant X portion A that led to the discovery of another antimicrobial agent besides KAMA. The Plant X portion A, Plant Y portion A and the Plant Y portion B were subject to an extraction procedure with the solvents solvent 1, solvent 2, solvent 3, solvent 4 and 70% Solvent 5. 10x concentration of solvent 1, solvent 2 and solvent 5 were also tested. The extracts were tested using a disk diffusion assay against Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli B. The extracts in 10x concentration solvent 1 and 10x concentration of solvent 5 yielded the greatest zones. In 10x concentration in solvent 1 the Plant X yielded a 4mm zone and Plant Y portion B yielded a 3mm zone on S. epidermidis. On S. aureus the Plant X had a 2.5mm zone and Plant Y portion B had a 3mm zone. The 10x Plant X in solvent 5 yielded a 4.5mm zone on S. epidermidis and S. aureus. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were performed on the extracts. KAMA having been run on the GC/MS and HPLC is of too small a quantity to be detected in the samples. The following compounds compound 1, compound 2, compound 3, compound 4, compound 5 were found to be in highest quantity in the GC/MS analysis of the extracts. This suggests that one or more of the above compounds are responsible for the antimicrobial properties of the Plant X portion A. and represents the development of a new antimicrobial agent. |
