The Assessment of Good and Bad Bacteria in Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) Leaves

Abstract

Holy basil (Tulsi, Ocimum sanctum ) is considered to be a pious plant. It is used not only in many of the rituals of Hindus but is also known for its innumerable medicinal qualities. Holy basil leaves (HBLs) are often consumed raw thus it is pertinent to detect the bacteria on Tulsi leaves. This study was conducted to understand the diversity of the aerobically growing microbiome of edible holy basil leaves. A total of 112 samples of leaves were collected from households of six localities in and around Bareilly, India for detecting culturable bacteria growing aerobically. A sum of 579 bacterial isolates belonging to 106 different species was identified. Pantoea agglomerans isolates were detected in 43 samples followed by isolates