Investigation of İn Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Pomegranate (Punica Granatum L.) Fruit Peel Extracts

Abstract

In recent years, the use of plant-derived products and dietary supplements has significantly increased, leading to a rise in scientific research on their biological effects. Among these, the antimicrobial properties of plants have received particular attention. Plants naturally contain a wide variety of secondary metabolites, such as tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids, which are known to possess antimicrobial activity. Punica granatum L. (pomegranate) is especially rich in tannins and has been reported to exhibit notable antimicrobial potential. In this study, the antimicrobial activities of water, ethanol, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate extracts of Punica granatum fruit peels were evaluated against five standard strains: Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, and Candida albicans ATCC 10231. The fruit peels were dried, ground into powder, and subjected to direct solvent extraction. The minimum inhibitory concentration values of each extract were determined using the microdilution method. The extracts exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, with the ethanol and water extracts being the most effective. Ethanol, water, and ethyl acetate extracts also showed inhibitory effects on Enterococcus faecalis. However, no antimicrobial activity was observed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, or Candida albicans. Among all extracts, the ethanol extract demonstrated the strongest antimicrobial effect, while the dichloromethane extract showed no antimicrobial activity under the tested conditions. These findings suggest that pomegranate peels, often discarded as waste, could serve as a natural preservative in the food industry and as a potential natural alternative for addressing the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance in pharmaceutical applications.

Keywords

• Antimicrobial activity
• phenolic
• microdilution method
• pomegranate peel extract
• Punica granatum L.

Nar (Punica Granatum L.) Meyve Kabuğu Ekstraktlarının İn Vitro Antimikrobiyal Etkinliğinin Araştırılması

Abstract

Bitkilerden elde edilen ürünlerin ve gıda takviyelerinin kullanımı son yıllarda artmıştır ve bunun üzerine pek çok çalışma yapılmıştır. Bu çalışmalar arasında bitkilerin antimikrobiyal aktivite göstermesine yönelik çalışmalar da vardır. Bitkiler; antimikrobiyal özelliklere sahip tanenler, terpenoidler, alkaloidler ve flavonoidler gibi çok çeşitli ikincil metabolitler açısından zengindir. Punica granatum L. (Nar) antimikrobiyal aktiviteye sahip tanenler açısından zengin bir bitkidir. Çalışmamızda Punica granatum L. meyve kabuklarından elde edilen su, etanol, diklorometan ve etil asetat ekstraktlarının Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 bakteri suşlarına ve Candida albicans ATCC 10231 mantar suşuna karşı antimikrobiyal aktivitesi araştırılmıştır. Nar meyve kabukları kurutulup toz haline getirildikten sonra farklı çözücüler kullanılarak direkt özütleme yöntemi ile ekstraktlar hazırlanmıştır. Ekstraktların minimum inhibitör konsantrasyon değerleri mikrodilüsyon yöntemi ile belirlenmiştir. Ekstraktlar en yüksek antimikrobiyal aktiviteyi Staphylococcus aureus suşuna karşı göstermiştir; bu suşa karşı en etkili ekstraktlar su ve etanol ekstraktlarıdır. Enterococcus faecalis suşuna karşı ise etanol, su ve etil asetat ekstraktları antimikrobiyal etki göstermiştir. Gram negatif özellikteki Pseudomonas aeruginosa ve Escherichia coli suşları ile Candida albicans suşunda antimikrobiyal aktiviteye rastlanmamıştır. Çalışmada kullanılan ekstraktlar arasında en yüksek antimikrobiyal aktiviteyi etanol ekstraktı gösterirken, diklorometan ekstraktı çalışmada kullanılan koşullar altında test edilen suşlar üzerinde antimikrobiyal aktivite göstermemiştir. Bu bulgular, atık olarak değerlendirilen nar meyvesi kabuğunun gıda endüstrisinde doğal koruyucu olarak ve ilaç endüstrisinde artan antibiyotik direncine karşı doğal bir alternatif olarak kullanılma potansiyeline sahip olduğunu düşündürmektedir.

Keywords

• Antimikrobiyal aktivite
• fenolik
• mikrodilüsyon yöntemi
• nar kabuğu ekstraktı
• Punica granatum L.

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