Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of Gooseberry and Wild Apple fruit juices of the northeast region of India

Kapil Punjabi,L Dikho Mao,Tehmeena Mukadam,Shital Vasave,Jinesh Maniar,Vidushi K Chitalia,Jaishankar Sharma,Shashikant Vaidya

doi:10.19071/jmhe.2017.v3.3160

Abstract

<span>A large number of wild fruits belonging to the North Eastern region of India are considered to be nutritionally abundant and traditionally used for the treatment of various ailments. In the present study, juices of Gooseberry and Wild Apple have been evaluated for their antimicrobial activity in its consumable form as a potential source of natural anti-infective agent. The fruit juices were screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activities qualitatively, using the agar well diffusion method followed by quantitative assessment by determining the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC). The study revealed that both the fruit juices exhibited broad spectrum antibacterial activity. Considerable activity against drug resistant pathogens such as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) and Extended Spectrum Î²-Lactamases (ESBL) producing Gram Negative bacteria (GNB) was observed. Thus, this study highlights the antibacterial efficacy of Wild Apple and Gooseberry fruit juices and augments the beneficiary properties of highly nutritional fruit juices that are specific to the Indian region.</span>

Highlights

There has been a remarkable progress in the development of antibiotics.Yet, infectious diseases remain a major threat to public health worldwide
In the wake of increasing drug resistance toward existing antimicrobials, evaluation of alternate natural antimicrobial agents is the need of the hour
The acquired fruit juices were slightly acidic in nature.The clear supernatant juice and pulp were individually assessed for their antimicrobial activity

Summary

Introduction

There has been a remarkable progress in the development of antibiotics.Yet, infectious diseases remain a major threat to public health worldwide. A number of fruit juices have long been used and recommended for their use as an anti-infective agent in traditional medicine by the local tribes These fruit juices have the properties of bioavailability and retention of certain minerals by bioactive polyphenolic compounds (Bansode and Chavan, 2013). Are these fruit juices cost-effective and with disassociated side effects, which make them better alternatives for the currently available antibiotics (Bag et al, 2012; Bansode and Chavan, 2013)

Methods

Results

Conclusion