Biofouling is a critical concern in several environmental conditions and hence significant economic resources have been dedicated to the development of effective biofouling monitoring and preventive strategies. The present study focused on isolation, characterization and evaluation of compounds from various medicinal and common plants and seaweed which are found to be inhibiting biofilm formation, using FTIR and GC-MS. The solvent extracts were scanned by using the KBr pellet method and the characteristic peaks were detected. For GC-MS analysis, ethanol, chloroform, ethyl acetate, water and methanol extracts were used. The compound detection employed the NIST Ver. 2.0 library.The FTIR spectrum confirmed the presence of functional groups such as carbonyls, amines, alcohol, alkene and aromatic compounds in different plant and seaweed extracts. The results of the GC-MS analysis provided different peaks determining the presence of several compounds with different therapeutic activities. Thus this study creates a platform to screen many bioactive components to act as a biofouling agent. © 2015, Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology. All rights reserved.