High-yield expression of bioactive compounds using bio-infusion technology

Abstract: The emphasis on drug discovery, healthcare improvement, and a sustainable environment has become overwhelming especially after the Covid-19 insurgence. The answer to health insecurity is surrounding the development of potent drugs against pathogen adaptation abilities and there is ongoing progressive research focused on the discovery of novel bioactive compounds most probable present in plant extracts. The aim of the investigation was to determine the effect of bio-infusion technology on extract yield concentration. The methodology involved the following: i. collection of a processed powdery sample of Combretodendrum sp., ii. hydrolyze the powdery sample with a consortium of enzymes (cellulase and amylase) at 45oC for 2hrs, iii. separation of supernatant by filtration and centrifugation to increase the volume. iv. Bioassay to ascertain yield concentrate of some compounds. The result obtained showed that screening analysis for phytochemical revealed a significant increase in presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, and anthraquinones. From the result, the inhibitory effect of the enzyme-infused extract was highly positive against all the test strains as compared to hot water and diethyl ether extracts respectively. The record showed the highest inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli (32.2 mm) and lowest against Enterobacter aerogenes (27.6 mm) against hot water extract (19.0 mm) and no response from diethyl ether extract for the same strain. The results obtained from the bio-infused extract showed higher yield and inhibitory expressions. The use of enzymes in extracting value-added biological compounds is an up-and-coming area from laboratory optimization studies to scale-up in industrial applications. However, success in this area requires interdisciplinary research from various life sciences disciplines. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that enzyme application is a sustainable extraction procedure to be more effective in the recovery of valuable bioactive compounds.