Abstract

Screw press a mechanical method of extraction was used to extract oil from African walnut and fatty acid profile was carried out using gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Antibacterial activity was determined using minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration and minimum biofilm eradication concentration. Extraction’s yield was 12.53 %. African walnut oil shows that linoleic acid (C18:2, 13.05%), linolenic acid (C18:3, 80.59%), stearic acid (C18, 4.41%) and palmitic acid (C16, 1.53%) were the dominant fatty acids present in it. Antibacterial activity was detected against planktonic and biofilm cells of reference bacteria and clinical isolate of Staphylococcus aureus. The results show that African walnut is a promising oil nut crop with high level of polyunsaturated fatty acids and antibacterial potential.

Key Words: African walnut, Antibacterial activity, Biofilm, Fatty acid, Planktonic