Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Physalis peruviana and Hyphaene thebaica extracts

Abstract

Ethanol extract of Physalis peruviana and water extract of Hyphaene thebaica were tested for their inhibitory effects on eight bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella entrica , Shigella dysenteriae , Bacillus cereus, Bacillus licheniformis and Staphylococcus aureus) by using well diffusion technique. The study demonstrated that Staph. aureus was the most sensitive gram-positive strain and E. coli was the most sensitive gram-negative strain to ethanol extract of Physalis peruvianae and water extract of Hyphaene thebaica. The inhibition zone diameters near to the synthetic antibiotic (ciprofloxacin). The antioxidant activity of the both extracts was also investigated by using 2, 2-diphenyl, 1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity and ascorbic acid as control. The results showed that the scavenging effects of both extracts on DPPH radicals increased by increasing the concentration. The ethanolic extract of Physalis peruvianae and water extract of Hyphaene thebaica were a promising source of natural antimicrobial agent, antioxidant agent and as natural preservative of processed food.