Antibacterial Activity of Myristica fragrans and Curry Powder against Selected Organisms

Abstract

The in vitro antibacterial activity of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of two spices; Myristica fragrans (nutmeg) and Curry powder was investigated using agar well diffusion method. The sensitivity of five food-borne pathogens (Pseudomonas aeruginnosa, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Salmonella typhi and vibrio spp) to the extracts was investigated using agar well diffusion method. Both spices exhibited antibacterial activity against all the tested organisms Pseudomonas aeruginnosa was the most susceptible organisms to both spices, while Vibrio spp showed the most resistance to both spices The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was determined for each of the spice extract. The lowest and most effective MIC value was that of the ethanolic extract of Nutmeg against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and highest was that of methanolic extracts of against Staphylococcus aureus , Salmonella typhi and the ethanolic extract of nutmeg against Vibrio spp. Most of the extracts were merely inhibitory against the organisms except the ethanolic extract of Curry and Nutmeg which were bactericidal against Pseudomonas aeruginnosa, Comparative studies with antibiotics showed that some bacteria that showed resistance to certain antibiotics were sensitive to the extracts of the spices. Such observation was comparatively significant and demonstrated the potential use of these spices as antimicrobial in the treatment food-borne illnesses.