A comparative study on conventional and non-conventional extraction methodologies for yield, quality and antibacterial investigation of Moringa oleifera Lam.

The impact of different extraction methods such as soaking, soxhlet, Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE) and Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE) using ethanol as a green solvent on the percentage of extraction yield (EY), total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activity (RSA%) and the antibacterial effect was studied. Unknown phytochemicals present in the moringa leaf extract from different methods were identified using Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and identified phytocompounds present in the moringa leaf extract ranging from twenty-eight compounds to thirty-four compounds from different extraction methods. On comparing the conventional and nonconventional methods of extraction, the quantity and quality of extracted moringa biomolecules were found to be high in terms of extraction yield (21.79 ± 0.10%), TPC (144.52 ± 3.44 QE mg/g), TFC (22.93 ± 0.28 GA mg/g) and antioxidant activity (84.15 ± 1.14%) in UAE followed by MAE in lesser time compared to conventional methods. Moringa leaf extract from UAE, showed a maximum zone of inhibition (56.25 ± 0.35 mm) against E. coli at higher concentrations. Based on the research results, UAE and MAE could be novel extraction methods for various industrial sectors with a wide range of nutrients and bioactivity. In future, these extracted compounds might be further purified, characterized and fortified with other food products to mitigate malnutrition.