Bactericidal and Bacteriostatic activities of aqueous Citrus sinensis peels in selected invitro bacterial strains

The antibacterial activity of aqueous extract of the peels of Citrus sinensis were assessed against bacterial isolates of Escherichia coli ATCC 29214, Salmonella Enterica Typhimurium ATCC 14028, Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 15315, Shigella flexneri ATCC 120233, Listeria monocytogenes Scott A, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25823, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 in vitro at concentration 1000mg/ml, 750mg/ml, 500mg/ml, 250mg/ml, 125mg/ml and 62.5mg/ml. Results showed that the aqueous extract had antibacterial activities against test bacteria but to varying degrees. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Listeria monocytogenes Scott A and Salmonella Enterica typhimurium ATCC 14028 were found to be at 500mg/ml while Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644, Escherichia coli ATCC 29214, and Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 had MIC at 750mg/ml and Shigella flexneri ATCC 120233 was found to be at 1000mg/ml. This shows that the aqueous peels extract of Citrus sinensis possess antibacterial compounds that act against groups of bacteria that are responsible for most bacterial diseases.