Assessment of the antibacterial activity of goat milk kefir on Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 and Salmonella enteric subsp. enterica serovar typhimurium ATCC 14028 using a well diffusion method

Abstract

Kefir is a fermented dairy product that uses kefir grains, which contain lactic acid bacteria and yeast, as a starter. Kefir has various health-promoting properties as a prebiotic food product. The purpose of this research was to measure the antibacterial activity of goat milk kefir against the pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 and Salmonella enteric subsp. enterica serovar typhimurium ATCC 14028 using a well diffusion method. A total of five treatments were tested: kefir grain, kefir curd, kefir whey, distilled water as a negative control, and tetracycline antibiotic as a positive control. The research used a Completely Randomized Design (CRD), and the data were analyzed by ANOVA if it showed significant effects by Least Significant Difference Test (LSD). The highest antibacterial activity against E. coli ATCC 8739 was seen with kefircurd,2.98±0.65 mm, and the lowest with kefir grains, 2.82±0.83 mm. Similarly, antibacterial activity against S. typhimurium ATCC 14028 was lowest with kefir grains, 2.22±1.05 mm, and the highest with kefir curd, 2.34±1.65 mm. The results showed that kefir goat milk, both curds, whey and kefir grains have potential as antibacterial against pathogenic E. coli ATCC 8739 and S. enteric subsp. enterica serovar typhimurium ATCC 14028.