Abstract

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OIL AND METHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF SWEET LIME (CITRUS LEMITTA) FRUIT

Zafar Iqbal*, Aisha Naz, Amna Shaheen, Mian Habib ur Rehman Mahmood, Khurram Shahzad, Shaista Nawaz, Abeera Zafar, Shamaim Zafar

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Abstract

Sweet lime (Citrus lemitta) fruit was collected from the Lahore Punjab Pakistan vegetable market. Essential oil from their peel, methanolic extracts from peel, pulp, and seed were extracted. The antimicrobial activities of essential oil and methanolic extract were evaluated using the disc diffusion method. Essential oil and methanolic extracts of sweet lime peel, pulp, and seed showed percentage inhibition against Escherichia coli were 17mm, 9mm, 10mm, and 5mm, Salmonella Typhi was 20mm, 8mm, 12mm, and 5mm and Staphylococcus aureus were 12mm, 11mm, 12mm, and 8mm respectively by using Streptomycin as a standard. Antifungal activity of essential oil and methanolic extracts of sweet lime seed, pulp, and peel against Aspergellius niger was 40mm, 38mm, 20mm, and 35mm, Aspergillus alternata were 22mm, 18mm, 18mm, and 23mm and Aspergillus terreus were 17mm, 11mm, 20mm, and 20mm respectively and compare these results with 1% fluconazole as a standard. The citrus peel oil showed strong antimicrobial activity.

Keywords: Sweet lime; Essential oil; Methanolic extract; Disc diffusion method; Antibacterial activity; Antifungal activity.