Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Sudanese Balanites Aegyptiaca Del Kernel Oil

The fruit part of Balanites aegyptiaca Del is traditionally used in the treatment of many diseases in Asia and Africa. In this study, the chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the lipid extracted from Balanites aegyptiaca kernel were investigated. The fixed oil was extracted by solvent semi-continuous extraction method with hexane. The chemical properties of the oil were determined according to the standard methods and the fatty acid composition was identified by Gas Chromatography. The antibacterial activity was investigated by disc diffusion assay against two Gram-positive bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis; and two Gram-negative bacteria: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. The kernel was found to contain about 48.5% of crude fixed oil on a dry weight basis. The chemical properties were 127.4, 196.5 mg KOH/g and 1.19 mEq/kg for iodine, saponification and peroxide values, respectively. The major components of the oil were palmatic (14.7%), stearic (18.3%), oleic (25.89%) and linoleic (41.1%). The antibacterial activity of the tested oil was extremely broad and inhibition zones ranged between 5 and 12 mm. S. aureus was the most sensitive to the oil (12 mm), while E. coli was the most resistant (5 mm). The Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) analysis showed others constituents such as sterols and this may warrant further research.