Phytochemical analysis and assessment of antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in Hornstedtia havilandii (K. Schum.) stem, leaves, and fruits extracts from Sabah

Studies have documented the therapeutic qualities of Hornstedtia, a member of the Zingiberaceae family. Locals in Sabah ingest Hornstedtia havilandii in its fresh state, believing it to promote health. This study aims to assess H. havilandii's phytochemical constituents and bioactivities. The dried stem, leaves and fruit samples were macerated with distilled water, ethanol, and n-hexane, respectively. The phytochemical analysis was conducted to identify the potential antioxidant and antimicrobial bioactivity properties of H. havilandii using the standard Colour Test, DPPH scavenging assay and disc diffusion method. The phytochemical screening showed that most targeted compounds were present. The extracts' MIC values showed moderate (11.77 ± 0.31 mm) to strong (29.53 ± 0.20 mm) antimicrobial activity. The fruit extracts were analysed for their TFC (95.24 ± 0.00693 mgRE/g), TPC (117.45 ± 0.00120 mgGAE/g) and Vitamin C (401.55 ± 1.37mg/100mL) with the ethanol extract showing the highest content. Then, fruit ethanol extract was further analysed using HPLC and gallic acid as the standard which shows the highest presence phenolic compounds. Lastly, the physico-chemical analysis on the fruits was conducted to determine the possibility of this underutilised plant as natural antioxidant, antimicrobial and nutrient source. In conclusion, H. havilandii exhibits significant potential as a source of bioactive compounds, particularly the fruit extract. in the future, it is recommended to employ studies on isolating and identifying the specific bioactive compounds for the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.