Gobal Advanced Research Journal of Environmental Science and Toxicology (GARJEST) ISSN: 2315-5140
November 2012 Vol. 1(8), pp. 199-202
Copyright © 2012 Global Advanced Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Phytochemical screening of important secondary metabolites in some extracts of two Sudanese plants 

Amal Elsayed Edriss, Zuhair Alfadil Alabjar and Abdalla Abdelrahim Satti

Sudan Academy of Science (SAS), P.O. Box 2404, Khartoum, Sudan

*Corresponding Author E-mail: apbc.92@gmail.com

Accepted 23 November, 2012

Abstract

Secondary metabolites occurred in certain higher plants are becoming increasingly important in industry nowadays, particularly for producing natural drugs and botanical pesticides. In this research, different extracts of two indigenous plant species in Sudan were screened for their major constituents of secondary metabolites, applying chemical analytical means. These plants were; Eucalyptus camaldulensis (leaves and fruits) and Ocimum basilicum (leaves and seeds). Each plant part was extracted with water and two organic solvents (ethanol and petroleum ether) for isolating both the apolar and polar compounds. The water extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids and saponins in leaves of the two plants, flavonoids in the two parts of O. basilicum and flavones and amino acids in fruits of C. camaldulensis. The ethanol extracts showed flavonoids and triterpenoids in both plants, with flavones, sterols and amino acids in fruits of C. camaldulensis. However, petroleum ether extracts manifested only triterpenoids and sterols concentrated mainly in fruiting parts of both plants. The detected chemical groups proved the importance of the two plants from pesticidal point of view, and invites additional research for characterization of these chemicals and their proper evaluation in pests control.

Keywords: Extracts, Phytochemicals, Active ingredients, Sudan.