Evaluation of Biological Activity of Ethanolic and Petroleum Ether Extracts of Commercial Clove (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L. M. Perry)

In this study, ethanolic and petroleum ether extracts of commercial cloves were prepared and analyzed. Soxhlet extraction (SE) and ultrasonic extraction (UAE) were used to prepare the extracts. Phytochemicals from plant material were extracted for 2 hours, in the case of both extraction techniques. The content of total polyphenols and flavonoids, as well as their antioxidant and antibacterial activity, were analyzed in the extracts. The results show an extremely high content of total polyphenols, which was also confirmed by the high antioxidant capacity, confirmed by DPPH and FRAP methods. Antibacterial screening on reference bacterial strains from the WDCM collection shows high potency of clove extracts at the tested concentration. In terms of the efficiency of extraction of bioactive components, petroleum ether in combination with ultrasonic extraction is the most effective. These results may contribute to further research and optimization of the extraction of biologically active components from cloves and related plant materials.