Pistacia terebinthus FRUIT: AN ALTERNATIVE TO PREVENT FOOD SPOILAGE

Abstract

The aim of this work was to investigate the usage possibilities of P. terebinthus fruit, which has a limited usage area, in the food industry. Antimicrobial activity of hexane extract obtained from P. terebinthus fruits from Adıyaman (Turkey) was determined by disc diffusion and micro-dilution assays against test microorganisms. In addition, the antibacterial activity of the extract on Escherichia coli O157:H7, one of the most important food-borne pathogens, was determined by viable cell count using a macro-dilution assay. The potential for use of the extract with probiotic candidate lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains was also investigated. The hexane extract presented antimicrobial activity against all the tested microorganisms, with good inhibition zone diameters between 10.51 mm and 18.02 mm. MIC and MFC or MBC values of P. terebinthus fruit extract were determined as 5-80 µg/µL against all tested microorganisms. The lowest MIC and MBC values (5 µg/µL) of the extract were obtained against E. coli O157:H7. Macro-dilution assay results indicated that the P. terebinthus extract at various concentrations (5-10-20 mg/mL) inhibited the growth of E. coli O157:H7 more than the control group after all of the incubation hours. No viable E. coli O157:H7 cells were detected after 48 hours at all concentrations. The extract showed low antimicrobial activity, and relatively high bactericidal concentration on probiotic candidate LAB strains. This shows that P. terebinthus hexane extract at appropriate concentrations can be used together with probiotic strains as a natural preservative and biopreservative to prevent food spoilage and extend shelf life.