Abstract
This research evaluated Moringa oleifera seed powder (MOSP) as an antibacterial agent, and a coagulant. In the former, clinical isolates of Salmonella sp., Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were used, and in the latter, river and stream water were used. Both the isolates and water samples were treated with MOSP at varying final concentrations of 0.001, 0.002, 0.004 and 0.017 g/ml. For the antibacterial assay, a dose of 0.017 g/ml of MOSP was effective on all three isolates with CFU/ml reduction of 99.4, 78.8 and 57.3% on Salmonella sp., E. coli and S. aureus respectively. An ANOVA confirmed this finding at P<0.05; 0.0014 between the treated and control samples. The water treatment assay also showed a reduction of total hardness, fluoride, phosphate, nitrate, total iron and manganese levels below the water quality standards. The MOSP could serve as a cost-effective product for process integration in raw water treatment systems in rural and urban settings. The study shows bioactivity of the seed powder of Moringa, and provides grounds to isolate the active component for commercialization and usage by the wider population with limited or no access to potable water.