Isolation of antifungal compounds from leaves of Breonadia salicina

Plant extracts may contain highly polar and/or highly non-polar substances which can interfere with the separation of pure compounds during isolation if they are present in a very high concentration. Commonly known examples of polar substances are carbohydrates, glycosides and amino acids, while non-polar substances include waxes, oils, sterols and chlorophylls (Klejdus et al. 1999). Preliminary removal of inactive highly polar or non-polar substances during isolation is useful since it increases extract purity and allows more accurate determination of antifungal activity and easier isolation of active compounds.