Antimicrobial potential of banana peel: A natural preservative to improve food safety
Nadia Shaukat1, Umar Farooq2*, Kashif Akram3, Afshan Shafi2, Zafar Hayat4, Ambreen Naz2, Ayesha Hakim5, Khizar Hayat2, Samra Naseem6, Muhammad Zaki Khan2
1Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
2Department of Food Science and Technology, MNS-University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan
3Department of Food Sciences, Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bahawalpur, Pakistan
4Department of Animal Sciences, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
5Department of Computer Sciences, MNS- University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan
6Department of Mathematics and Statistics, MNS- University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan
Abstract
The bacterial pathogens not only cause food borne illness and disturbance in the metabolic process of human body rather also cause the severe disorders leading to mortality. The present research was designed to investigate the antimicrobial potential of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of banana peel against food borne pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhus and Escherichia coli. The results showed that the extracts possessed significant antimicrobial potential against both Gram-negative (S. typhus & E. coli) and Gram-positive (B. subtilus & S. aureus) strains. The ethanolic extracts revealed maximum antimicrobial potential against S. typhus (16.27±0.01 mm zone of inhibition) and S. aureus (17.15±0.01 mm zone of inhibition) at 40°C, which was very close to the antimicrobial potential of the standard antibiotics (Amoxicillin & Ciprofloxacin). The results concluded that banana peel would be a suitable choice to use as a natural preservative in food items to enhance the food safety.
