ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF LEMON (Citrus limon) Against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli

Citrus limonalso referred as lemon is a fruit-bearing member of the Rutaceaefamily and a significant medicinal plant. Compounds derived from citrus limon from the extraction process are useful as antibiotic components to combat infections. As bacterial strains become more and more resistant to antibiotics nowadays, finding an alternative to antibiotics as a treatment for bacteria especially causing food poisoning and diarrhoea is crucial. The purpose of this study was to determine the antibacterial activity of Citruslimonpeel extract against foodborne pathogens, mainly S. aureusand E. coli. The semethanol-based lemon extract was tested for antibacterial activity using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The serial dilution was performed to estimate the minimum inhibitoryconcentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) value of lemon peel extracts against S. aureusand E. coliwhich exhibited different values of MIC and MBC for S. aureusand E. coli. From the data, it clearly shows that ethanol extract of Citrus limonpeel containspowerful inhibitiontowards pathogenic microorganisms especially S. aureusand E. coli. Increase the concentration of extracts is best recommended for upcoming studies of antimicrobial activity of fruit Citrus limon.