You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
Vinegar is the product made from the conversion of ethyl alcohol to acetic acid by a genus of bacteria, Acetobacter which has been used as a food preservative. Fruits provide suitable environment for the survival and growth of many types of microbes especially bacteria. The aim of this research work was to assess the antimicrobial activities of vinegar on multi resistant spoilage organism of Citrus sinensis (oranges). Five bacterial isolates and three fungal were obtained from the spoilt fruit. The bacteria obtained include Proteus spp, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella spp, Shigella spp and Enterobacter spp. while the fungal isolates are Cyptococcus neoformans, Lasidoplodia spp. and Diaporthe spp. Antimicrobial activity of the vinegar was carried out using agar well diffusion, broth dilution method was used to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) while poisoned food approach was used to determine the antifungal activity. The result revealed bacterial and fungal isolates tested were susceptible to vinegar with zones of inhibition which ranged from 0.00 mm (Proteus spp) to 26.00 mm (Salmonella spp), there was no significant inhibition of vinegar against Proteus spp. Salmonella had the highest zone of inhibition with 26.00 mm. It was also observed that the MIC of vinegar on Klebsiella pnuemoniae was 12.50% while Salmonella spp only showed inhibition at 100.00% hence, the MIC of 100.00%. The percentage mycelial growth inhibition was 100.00% for Lasiodiplodia spp and Diaporthe spp at 100.00% and 75.00% concentration. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that vinegar can effectively act as an antimicrobial agent against spoilage organisms. However, further research could explore optimal vinegar concentrations and application methods to maximize its effectiveness while maintaining the quality of the product.
