Assessment of the Dietary Minerals, Phytochemical Composition and Antimicrobial Potential of Acacia Nilotica Seeds Extract Obtained in Sagamu, Ogun State

Abstract

Acacia nilotica (A. nilotica) is a medicinal plant widely used in Nigeria due to its nutritional and bioactive potential. Understanding its mineral composition and phytochemical constituents is vital for determining how the components translate into nutritional and biological activity. This research, therefore, aimed to screen the methanolic crude extract of A. nilotica seeds obtained in Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria for phytochemicals, dietary minerals, and antimicrobial activities. Standard methods were employed for phytochemical analysis of the seeds, the dietary minerals were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) and antimicrobial screening was accomplished using agar well diffusion method. Alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids, tannins, phenol, terpenoids, and cardiac glycosides were the phytochemicals found in the seed extract. Fe (822.0 mg/kg) was the most abundant element found in A. nilotica seeds followed by Ca (104.2 mg/kg) > Mg (48.6 mg/kg) and Mn (10.2 mg/kg) while Zn (6.7 mg/kg) was the least abundant. The seeds contain flavonoids and phenolics with a % mean ± standard deviation value of 2.40 ± 0.20 and 1.81 ± 0.09, respectively. The crude extract displayed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against five bacterial strains. For the antibacterial screening, the optimal activity was observed against Bacillus subtilis with the highest inhibition zone (27 mm) at 200 mg/mL followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa = Staphylococcus aureus (26 mm) > Escherichia coli = Salmonellae typhi (24 mm). The findings of this work justifies the application of A. nilotica in folk medicine and a source of dietary supplement for people with diseases relating to mineral deficiency amongst others.