Abstract

Moringa oleifera (MO) is a medicinal plant with well-documented antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic properties. This study investigated the antibacterial activity of pure MO leaves and their ethanol extract against Salmonella gallinarium (S. gallinarium) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), two prevalent bacterial pathogens found in poultry offal’s. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of pure MO, ethanol extract, and chloramphenicol (CAP), a conventional antibiotic, was determined against multiple poultry offal samples. The results revealed that 48% of the samples were positive for S. gallinarium, 16% for E. coli and 36% for mixed colonies. Pure MO exhibited moderate antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. gallinarium, with MIC values of 2.91 μg/mL and 4.17 μg/mL, respectively. The ethanol extract demonstrated enhanced antibacterial efficacy compared to pure MO, with MIC values of 0.62 μg/mL and 1.19 μg/mL against E. coli and S. gallinarium, respectively. The positive control CAP displayed superior antibacterial potency against both bacterial strains, with MIC values of 0.20 μg/mL and 0.26 μg/mL, respectively. These findings suggest that the ethanol extract of MO possesses promising antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. gallinarium and could serve as a natural alternative to antibiotics for controlling bacterial contamination in poultry offal’s. Further research is required to explore the specific antibacterial compounds within MO and to evaluate their efficacy in poultry processing and preservation applications.