Phytochemical potentiality and antifungal activity of extracts from Cymbopogon citratus and Xylopia aethiopica : a biopreservation strategy for charmout against fungal strains in N'Djamena, Chad

Abstract The use of medicinal plants is crucial in traditional and modern medicine. In Africa, fungal infections, particularly those caused by foodstuffs such as charmout (dried meat) in Chad, are a significant public health problem. The present study evaluated the phytochemical and antifungal potential of extracts from Cymbopogon citratus leaves, Xylopia aethiopica fruit, and essential oil from Cymbopogon citratus against the microflora that causes charmout spoilage ( Aspergillus niger, Mucor sp. , Fusarium sp. ). Phytochemical analysis revealed that both plants are rich in secondary metabolites. The levels of phenol in X. aethiopica and C. citratus were found to be 72.37 ± 0.59 mgEqAG/gMS and 74.96 ± 0.85 mgEqAG/gMS, respectively. The presence of saponins was also detected, with X. aethiopica being particularly rich in these compounds. X. aethiopica was distinguished by a greater abundance of tannins and alkaloids in comparison the C. citratus. The ethanolic extracts of both plants exhibited strong inhibitory activity at concentrations of 1 and 2 mg/mL. The ethanolic extract of Cymbopogon citratus demonstrated a high level of inhibition against Mucor sp. and Fusarium sp. over a period of seven days at elevated concentrations. In contrast, the aqueous extracts showed negligible activity after three days, highlighting the ineffectiveness of water in extracting the major active compounds. The study corroborates the substantial potential of these plants as effective biopreservatives for the fungicidal protection of charmout , emphasising the necessity for optimisation of concentrations to ensure sustainable protection.