BIOACTIVE CONTENT OF SELECTED TROPICAL FRUITS AS ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS

M.A. Mustafa, A. Ali, G. Seymour, G. Tucker
A distinct number of tropical fruits have been characterized with potent antimicrobial activity, which has been correlated to the bioactive content of these fruits. Dragon fruit, mangosteen and starfruit are popular fruits in tropical regions and are increasingly being recognized for their nutritional and health properties. In this study extracts of freshly harvested dragon fruit, starfruit and mangosteen were assessed against the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. Different fractions from the edible fruit portions were extracted using hexane, methanol, acetone and ethyl acetate and were assessed for antimicrobial activity. The phenolic content and antioxidant activity, as determined by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), of these extracts were assessed as well. Antimicrobial activity was detected for the starfruit methanolic and acetone extracts at a concentration as low as 20 ppm. The antioxidant activity of these two extracts were found to be significantly higher (p<0.05) than the other extracts, with the exception of the dragon fruit methanolic extract. Moreover, the highest phenolic content was also detected for the starfruit methanolic extract. As the global demands for tropical fruits steadily increases, it is of increasing interest to understand the health and safety benefits of these fruits.
Mustafa, M.A., Ali, A., Seymour, G. and Tucker, G. (2015). BIOACTIVE CONTENT OF SELECTED TROPICAL FRUITS AS ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS . Acta Hortic. 1079, 675-678
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1079.92
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1079.92
food safety, dragon fruit, starfruit, mangosteen, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, E. coli
English

Acta Horticulturae