ASSESSMENT OF ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF ONION (ALLIUM CEPA L.) BULB EXTRACTS

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is a well-known traditional nutraceutical and medicinal plant that is cultivated and used around the world. The present study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of different extracts of onion bulb on antifungal activity. The extracts were prepared with aqueous, ethanol, chloroform and petroleum ether and subjected for preliminary phytochemical and antifungal activity. Antifungal activity was assessed by the paper disc agar diffusion method. The results of the antifungal activity showed that the onion exhibited significant fungal growth inhibition in its aqueous and ethanolic extraction. Onion is most effective in its chloroform extract while its effectiveness is least in petroleum ether extract. Screening of antimicrobial activity performed on A. cepa bulb extracts shows that they are endowed with potentially exploitable antifungal activity. These results showed that onion bulb can be a source of compounds that can serve as templates for future fungicides against Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus, fumigatus, Candida albicans and Aspergillus flavus. Hence, bulb extracts of A. cepa could be used as an easy accessible source of antifungal agent making it one of the potent therapeutic phytomedicines.