Investigation of the Antimicrobial Effects of Traditionally Prepared Vinegars from Plantago major L. and Hypericum perforatum L. Collected in Ordu Province on Selected Pathogenic Microorganisms

Abstract

In this study, the antimicrobial effects of traditionally fermented vinegars produced from Plantago major L. (common plantain) and Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John’s Wort), collected from the Ünye district of Ordu Province, Türkiye, were evaluated. The vinegar samples were tested against 11 pathogenic microorganisms, including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as Candida species, using the agar disk diffusion method. The results showed that both types of vinegar exhibited significant antimicrobial activity, particularly at undiluted (1:1) and 1/2 dilutions. The highest antibacterial effect for P. major vinegar was observed against Proteus vulgaris (15.33±0.33 mm). Antifungal activity, however, was generally lower compared to bacterial inhibition. The pH values of P. major and H. perforatum vinegars were measured as 2.62 and 2.72, respectively, indicating strong acidity, which likely contributes to their antimicrobial properties. These findings suggest that vinegars produced from medicinal plants through traditional fermentation methods have the potential to serve as natural antimicrobial agents. Further biochemical studies are recommended to explore their potential applications in pharmaceutical and food safety fields.

Keywords

• Plantago major L.
• Hypericum perforatum L.
• Antimicrobial activity
• Disk diffusion

References

1. Antoniewicz J, Jakubczyk K, Kwiatkowski P, Maciejewska- Markiewicz D, Kochman J, Rębacz-Maron E, Janda- Milczarek K. 2021. Analysis of antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial properties of selected polish grape vinegars obtained by spontaneous fermentation. Molecules, 26: 4727.
2. Ashchyan H, Jen M, Elenitsas R, Rubin AI. 2018. Surreptitious Apple cider vinegar treatment of a melanocytic nevus: newly described histologic features. J Cutan Pathol, 45(4): 307-309.
3. Avcu Ü. 2023. Comparison of the antimicrobial effects of vinegar, povidone-iode and boric acid against microorganisms isolated from wound. Specialist Thesis, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Institute of Health Sciences, Sivas, Türkiye, pp: 83.
4. Bakir S, Devecioglu D, Kayacan S, Toydemir G, Karbancioglu-Guler F, Capanoglu E. 2017. Investigating the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of different vinegars. Eur Food Res Technol, 243: 2083-2094.
5. Carson CF, Ash O, Chakera A. 2017. In vitro data support the investigation of vinegar as an antimicrobial agent for PD-associated Pseudomonas exit site infections. Nephrology, 22(2): 179-181.
6. Cody ME. 1998. Plantago major transdermal patch for use in treating a tobacco or nicotine habit. US Patent No. 5,716,635, February 10.
7. Collins CM, Lyne PM, Grange JM. 1989. Microbiological methods. Butterworths, London, UK, pp: 410.
8. Elhan S. 2014. Investigation of the usage of different vinegar type and concentration for disinfection of salad components. MSc Thesis, Atatürk Univerity, Institute of Science, Erzurum, Türkiye, pp: 57.

9. Genç S, Soysal Mİ. 2018. Parametric and nonparametric post hoc tests. BSJ Eng Sci, 1(1): 18-27.
10. Hindi NK. 2013. In vitro antibacterial activity of aquatic garlic extract, apple vinegar and apple vinegar-garlic extract combination. Am J Phytomed Clin Ther, 1(1): 42-51.
11. Johnston CS, Gaas CA. 2006. Vinegar: medicinal uses and antiglycemic effect. MedGenMed, 8(2): 61.
12. Kara M, Assouguem A, Kamaly OMA, et al. 2021. The impact of apple variety and the production methods onthe antibacterial activity of vinegar samples. Molecules, 26: 5437.
13. Liu L, Ho P, Zhou Y, Hocart C, Zhang R. 2002. Fatty acid profiles of leaves of nine edible wild plants: An Australian study. J Food Lipids, 9(1): 65-71.
14. Nassiri-Asl M, Hosseinzadeh H. 2016. Review of the pharmacological effects of Vitis vinifera (Grape) and its bioactive constituents: An update. Phyther Res, 30(9): 1392-1403.
15. Saddiqe Z, Naeem I, Maimoona A. 2010. A review of the antibacterial activity of Hypericum perforatum L. J Ethnopharmacol,131(3): 511-521.
16. Samuelsen AB. 2000. The traditional uses, chemical constituents and biological activities of Plantago majör L. a review. J Ethnopharmacol, 71(1-2): 1-21.
17. Stanisavljević IT, Stojičević SS, Veličković DT, Lazić ML, Veljković VB. 2008. Screening the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the extracts from plantain (Plantago major L.) leaves’. Sep Sci Technol, 43(14): 3652-3662.
18. Şengün İY, Kılıç G. 2018. Dut sirkesinin mikrobiyolojik, fiziksel, kimyasal, antiradikal ve antimikrobiyal özellikleri. Akademik Gıda 16(2): 168-175.
19. Taner Saraçoğlu H. 2024. Farklı çözücülerle hazırlanan Elettaria Cardamomum (L.) maton ekstraktlarının antibakteriyel aktivitelerinin incelenmesi. BSJ Eng Sci, 7(4): 635-640.
20. Velasco-Lezama R, Tapia-Aguilar R, Roman-Ramos R, Vega-Avila E, Pérez-Gutiérrez MS. 2006. Effect of Plantago major on cell proliferation in vitro. J Ethnopharmacol, 103(1): 36-42.
21. Veyisoğlu A, Balta YE, Tatar D. 2024a. Investigation of the antimicrobial activity of water and methanol extracts of Salvadora persica L. (miswak) plant against some pathogenic microorganisms. Int J Agric Environ Food Sci, 8(4): 964-969.
22. Veyisoğlu A, Yeşilyer A, Tatar D. 2024b. Ticari olarak satılan Spirulina platensis’in üç farklı çözücü ile elde edilen ekstraktlarının seçilmiş patojenik bakteri ve mantarlara karşı antimikrobiyal aktivitelerinin belirlenmesi. BSJ Eng Sci, 7(5): 1031-1035.
23. Zhang XL, Zheng Y, Xia ML, Wu YN, Liu XJ, Xie SK, Wu YF, Wang M. 2020. Knowledge domain and emerging trends in vinegar research: A bibliometric review of the literature from WOSCC. Foods, 9(2): 166.