Phytochemical Screening of Ethnomedicinal Herbal Extracts and their Effect on Microbial Quality of Sukuti

The effect of herbal extracts four ethnomedicinal herbs (Zanthoxylumarmatum, Litsea cubeba, Heracleum nepalense, and Evodia fraxinifolia) culinary importance on the microbial quality sukuti (a traditional dried meat product) was studied. Herbal were prepared by grinding each herb to particle size < 250 μm, extracting in 50% (v/v) ethanol, concentrating a rotary vacuum evaporator at 50oC. Four spoilage pathogenic microorganisms, viz., Salmonella, Staphylococcus, E. coli, Lactobacillus isolated from market samples used as test organisms for study. concentration 40, 20, 10, 2 mg/ml tested against determine antimicrobial property extracts. extract showing greatest activity selected use optimized product (sukuti) development. total phenolic content also determined. analyses performed triplicate. data checked homogeneity before being analyzed with ANOVA Genstat Release v12. Fisher's Least Significant Difference (LSD) method compare means 5% level significance. Zanthoxylum armatum 40 showed largest zone inhibition (ZOI) therefore final Meat strips (1 cm × 1 25 cm) marinated (40 mg/ml) rate 2%, aged (24 h 4 ± 2oC), cabinet dryer days 55oC. plate counts (TPCs) control (untreated)- (treated) carried out 20 an interval 10 stability product. TPC treated sample significantly lower (p<0.05) than that untreated sample.