Journal of Biology and Nature

Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) flowers are traditionally used for the preparation of fermented and distilled beverages in several communities. The present study aimed to document the traditional preparation of a Mahua distillate and conduct preliminary physicochemical, phytochemical and antimicrobial screening. Dried Mahua flowers were soaked in water and processed using a traditional firewood-heated distillation apparatus. The resulting distillate was evaluated for pH, presumptive alcohol presence using the potassium dichromate test, and selected phytochemical groups using qualitative chemical tests. Preliminary antibacterial and antifungal screening was also performed using the agar well-diffusion method. The distillate showed an acidic pH of 4.7 and a positive potassium dichromate reaction, indicating the presumptive presence of alcohol. Qualitative screening indicated positive reactions for saponins, terpenoids, alkaloids and carbohydrates, whereas tannins, flavonoids, anthocyanins and proteins were not detected under the conditions employed. Inhibition zones of 8.3 mm and 13.2 mm were observed in the preliminary antibacterial and antifungal assays, respectively. However, the test microorganisms, inoculum density, replication and appropriate ethanol-matched and negative controls were not documented. Therefore, the observed inhibition cannot be interpreted as confirmed antimicrobial activity or attributed specifically to Mahua phytochemicals. The findings provide preliminary descriptive information and highlight the need for standardised chemical characterisation and microbiological assays in future studies.