Description

Natural products, especially those produced by edible and medicinal plant species, are currently under special investigation as food additives due to their usefulness, accessibility and non-toxic nature. The present study was designed to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Psidium guajava L. leaves. P. guajava exhibited a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity since it was active against all Gram positive bacteria, Gram negative bacteria and fungi thus supporting folkloric use in the treatment of some infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms. A strong correlation was observed between antioxidant activity and total phenol content. Among the different solvent extracts and fractions, the acetone extract was the most potent extract, even better than that of the standard. The results obtained indicate the strong antioxidant properties of the Psidium guajava which may be attributed to the presence of high phenolic content. Therefore, it is worthwhile to consider the utilization of this plant for the production of functional food ingredients or phytochemicals for medicinal exploration.