Extraction of Capsaicin from Chili Pepper (Capsicum spp.) and Evaluation of Its Inhibitory Activity Against Selected Bacterial Species
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65405/a576m173Keywords:
Capsaicin; Chili pepper; Antibacterial activity; Soxhlet extraction; Agar diffusion method; Antimicrobial resistanceAbstract
Chili pepper (Capsicum spp.) contains various biologically active compounds, most notably capsaicin, an alkaloid known for its sensory, therapeutic, and antimicrobial properties. This study aimed to extract capsaicin from chili pepper fruits available in Libyan markets using two extraction methods: hot extraction with a Soxhlet apparatus using 96% ethanol and cold extraction using dichloromethane. The antibacterial activity of the resulting extracts was then evaluated against seven pathogenic bacterial isolates using the agar diffusion method.
The results showed that the ethanolic extract exhibited markedly higher antibacterial activity than the dichloromethane extract, with inhibition-zone diameters ranging from 22 to 29 mm against four Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, Klebsiella sp., Proteus sp., and Pseudomonas sp.) and three Gram-positive bacteria (Streptococcus sp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis). In contrast, the dichloromethane extract produced inhibition zones ranging from 10 to 11 mm against only five bacterial isolates, with no detectable inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus.
These findings suggest that ethanol-extracted capsaicin has promising potential as a natural antibacterial agent for possible applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries, either as an alternative or an adjunct to conventional antibiotics, particularly in light of the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. Further studies are recommended to accurately characterize the active constituents and investigate their molecular mechanisms of antibacterial action.
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