Antimicrobial Activity of Jambul (<i>Syzygium cumini</i>) Fruit Extract on Enteric Pathogenic Bacteria

Abstract

Jambul ( Syzygium cumini ) contain several biological activities including anti diabetic, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective and antibacterial activity. In this study, we investigated antibacterial activity of Jambul juice extract against some common enteric pathogens like Salmonella typhimurium , Shigella flexneri , Staphylococcus aureus , and ETEC (Entero toxigenic E. coli ). Growth inhibition of these entero pathogenic bacteria was measured by growing in Nutrient Broth media supplemented with 0%, 5%, 10% and 25% juice extract and then plating on Nutrient Agar plate for colony count at 0, 24 and 48 hours time points. The effect of Jambul juice on the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus were also investigated. We observed that the growth of Salmonella typhimurium , Shigella flexneri , Staphylococcus aureus , and ETEC were significantly inhibited by Jambul juice by 1 to 6 logs (p < 0.001), and the growth of probiotics ( Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus ) were not affected significantly. These findings indicate that Jambul juice have selective bactericidal effects against several enteric pathogens while beneficial species remain unaffected. To far our knowledge, this is the first report about the antibacterial activity of fruit juice in Bangladesh.