Abstract

The study determined the bioaccumulation of heavy metals (Co, Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, and Mn) in the ethanol extract of B. sapida and identified the bioactive compounds present in the aqueous fraction of the plant using the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The fresh samples were dried under a shed, pulverized, and subjected to 70 % ethanol extract followed by fractionation. The plant extract was digested with a dilute acid solution (mixture of nitric and perchloric acid in a ratio of 2:1, at 90 °C), filtered, and analyzed for metal contents using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The metal contents are as follows; Co, Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, and Mn are 0.041±0.006, 0.617±0.058, 0.021±0.006, 0.810±0.058, 0.933±0.058, and 0.080±0.006 Mg/kg respectively. Nineteen prominent compounds were identified in the aqueous fraction of the extract by GC-MS. The results of the study revealed the presence of the metals investigated in the extract of B. sapida; however, these metal levels were lower than the stated values by (WHO/FDA). The aqueous fraction of B. sapida possessed bioactive compounds with biological activities, such as antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, pharmaceutical, antioxidant, herbicidal, and anticancer properties with various applications in the places of synthetic chemicals.