Banana (Musa spp.) flower is an unutilized agricultural by-product with growing academic interest in light of its well-balanced content of bioactive phytochemicals and possible therapeutic benefits. This review will discuss and critically evaluate the available literature on the antimicrobial and antioxidant potential of banana flower extracts obtained by the use of various solvents. To extract these compounds, many different solvents have been commonly used, like methanol, ethanol, chloroform, hydro-ethanol, hydro-chloroform, and the polarity of the solvents has been found to be a significant factor in extraction yield. Many studies have indicated that polar solvents especially methanol and ethanol tend to achieve higher concentrations of phenolic substances and strong antioxidant properties, which are usually measured using techniques like DPPH radical scavenging frameworks. In the same manner, antimicrobial effect on a number of pathogenic microorganisms has been reported using conventional microbiological tests which means that banana flower extracts have potential as natural antimicrobial agents. The evidence obtained indicates that extracts of banana flowers have high antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and can be used as potential natural alternatives to be applied in food preservation, pharmaceutical preparation, and in the development of nutraceuticals. Moreover, the fact that banana flower is used as a value-added product demonstrates the need to consider agricultural by-products as renewable sources of bioactive compounds with possible industrial and therapeutic use.

Keywords:Banana Flower; Antioxidant Activity; Antimicrobial Activity; Phytochemical Compounds; Solvent Extraction