Antimicrobial Activity, Total Phenolic and Ascorbic Acid Content of Terminalia Ferdinandiana Leaves at Various Stages of Maturity

Chaliha Mridusmita^1,2, Anh Dao Thi Phan^1,2, Shan Cao³, Qin Li³, Julian Gorman⁴, Yasmina Sultanbawa^1,2* and Daniel Cozzolino^1,2*

¹ARC Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods, Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Kessels Rd, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Queensland, Australia.

²Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Queensland, Australia.

³School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Queensland, Australia.

⁴Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia.

Corresponding Author Email: d.cozzolino@uq.edu.au

This work investigated the effect of leaf development (maturity) on morphology, antimicrobial activity, total phenolic (TPC) and ascorbic acid content in leaves of Terminalia ferdinandiana, an endemic plant of Australia. The results of this study indicated that total ascorbic acid was in the range of 23.0 to 35.5 mg/100 g dry weight (DW), showing an increase with advance of maturity. TPC in water and methanolic extracts were in the range of 237.3 - 598.6 and 210.3 - 319.6 mg Gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/ g DW, respectively. Leaf extracts exhibited pronounced inhibitory activity towards Staphylococcus aureus where total ascorbic acid and TPC were positively correlated with the observed antimicrobial activity. These results indicated that leaves extracts might be used as an alternative to synthetic antimicrobial agents, with a great potential for application as an environmentally friendly sanitizer in the hospitality and healthcare industries.

Ascorbic Acid; Environmentally Friendly Sanitizer; Leaf Maturity Terminalia Ferdinandiana; Natural Antimicrobials; Staphylococcus Aureus.

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