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Background: Sustainable utilisation of agro-food wastes is rich in phytonutrients exhibiting a wide range of bioactivities and is the focus of recent research. Banana peels are waste products traditionally used for ailments like cough, burns, and inflammation. The present study evaluated the antimicrobial action of the ripe and unripe peel extract against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is responsible for most nosocomial infections and makes it challenging to achieve therapeutic compliance. Methods: The ripe and unripe banana peels were collected and authenticated, and hydro-alcoholic extracts were prepared using maceration. Phytochemical analysis, antioxidant and antimicrobial studies were performed with both the extracts and compared. Results: Both the peels were identified as Musa paradisiaca L., and hydro-alcoholic extracts showed the presence of flavonoid and phenolic compounds in significant amounts. The in-vitro antioxidant study revealed the ripe peels to be more potent, having an IC50 value of 35.71 µg/ml in DPPH free radical scavenging action. It significantly inhibited gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, comparable with the Amoxicillin as standard. Both the extracts had MIC as 300 mg/ml, but the zone of inhibition produced by the ripe peels (1.63 cm) was more potent than the unripe peels (1 cm). Conclusion: The present study data indicated that the hydro-alcoholic extract of ripe banana (Musa paradisiaca L) peel was promising in antioxidant and antibacterial action primarily due to its significant phenolic contents. Further research is needed for a detailed evaluation of its phytopharmacological action, which can be beneficial for developing a cost-effective natural source of antimicrobial agents in pharmaceutical industries along with an eco-friendly environment.
Sarkar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.