Abstract
Many pharmaceuticals are commercially available for use in the management of bacteria and other health related diseases. Trigonella foenum-graecum is among many plants people used as a traditional medication. This research focuses on the extraction using Methanol, phytochemical screening, fractionation of the crude extract, antibacterial activities, isolation and characterization of the most potent fraction, carried out on the seed of Trigonella foenum-graecum using standard methods. The results of phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of Alkaloids, Flavonoids, Tannin, Glycoside, Phenol, Fatty acid, Terpenoids and saponins. The antibacterial sensitivity test carried out on the Hexane fraction using Agar well diffusion method showed zone of inhibition range from 0-18 mm (concentration of 12.50-100 mg/cm3) for staphylococcus aureus, 12-20 mm (concentration of 12.50-100 mg/cm3) for Escherichia coli, 13-22.50 mm (concentration of 12.50-100 mg/cm3) for Salmonella typhi and 0-12 mm (concentration of 12.50-100 mg/cm3) for Bacillus subtillis with an average inhibition range of 0-22.50 mm. For the Chloroform fraction, the antibacterial sensitivity test carried out showed zone of inhibition range from 0-16 mm (concentration of 12.50-100 mg/cm3) for staphylococcus aureus, 0-12 mm (concentration of 12.50-100 mg/cm3) for Escherichia coli, 0-17 mm (concentration of 12.50-100 mg/cm3) for Salmonella typhi and 0 mm (concentration of 12.50-100 mg/cm3) for Bacillus subtillis with an average inhibition range of 0-17 mm. The antibacterial sensitivity test carried out on the Ethyl acetate fraction showed zone of inhibition range of 0 mm (concentration of 12.50-100 mg/cm3) for staphylococcus aureus, 0-13 mm (concentration of 12.50-100 mg/cm3) for Escherichia coli, 0-12 mm (concentration of 12.50-100 mg/cm3) for Salmonella typhi and 0 mm (concentration of 12.50-100 mg/cm3) for Bacillus subtillis with an average inhibition range of 0-13 mm. From the above results, n-Hexane fraction was subjected to glass column chromatography and an ester of Methylhexadecanoic acid was isolated from n-hexane fraction of Methanol extract of seed of Trigonella foenum-graecum.

Key words: Fenugreek, Methanol, Anti-bacterial, Chromatography, Methylhexadecanoic acid