Abstract

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Study was carried out to determine the antibacterial potential of orange peels extracts against some isolated bacteria associated with tomato rot in Jos. Rotten ripe tomato fruits were aseptically collected from Terminus and Farin-gada markets of Jos metropolis. The plant extract was obtained from dried orange peels by Soxhlet extraction using n-hexane. Agar well diffusion method was used for the antibacterial susceptibility assay and accompanied by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bacteriocidal Concentration (MBC) determination. The result showed the presence of seven bacterial (Klebsiella sp., Pseudomonas sp., Salmonella typhi, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Erwina sp. and Shigella sp.) isolates with Klebsiella sp. having the highest percentage of occurrence (22%) while Staphylococcus areushad the lowest percentage occurrence (5%). The result of the susceptibility of the antibacterial test showed Klebsiella sp. had the maximum zone of inhibition (8mm) at the concentration of 200mg/ml while Proteus sp.showed no zone of inhibition at the same concentration. The differences in the zones of inhibition by the different extract concentrations and the control on the isolates were statistically significant at P= 0.05 across the concentrations on the isolates as compared to the control. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration values showed that the extract had activity against Klebsiella sp. and Shigella sp.at 100 mg/ml and 200mg/ml respectively while only Klebsiella sp showed a Minimum Bacteriocidal Concentration of 200mg/ml. The result showed that orange peel extract was active but not effective against the tomato spoilage bacteria. Therefore, waste portions of the citrus fruits' peels could be a promising source of antimicrobial variables.

Keywords: Antibacterial potential, Orange peels, tomato rot, Extract.