Developing a plant based hand sanitizer using antibacterial Apium graveolens leaf extract

Indigenous medicinal plants, enriched with bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids, and polyphenolic components, exhibit significant disinfectant, antiseptic, and antimicrobial properties. This study aimed to explore the antibacterial potential of celery leaf (Apium graveolens L.) extract for its application in hand sanitizer formulations. The extraction process was optimized under the following conditions: a solvent-to-sample ratio of 50:1, 80% solvent concentration, an extraction temperature of 80 °C, and an extraction time of 1 h. Under these optimized conditions, the total phenolic content was determined to be 62.70 mg GAE/g, with an antimicrobial activity of 11.02 mm. The study further investigated the antibacterial efficacy of various concentrations of celery leaf extract (10%, 25%, 50%, and 75%). The highest inhibition zone of 12.83 ± 0.29 mm was observed at 75% concentration, followed by 10.68 ± 0.32 mm at 50% and 7.5 ± 0.50 mm at 25%. These findings highlight the potential of celery leaf extract as a natural and effective ingredient in antimicrobial formulations, particularly for hand sanitizers.