Pustaka Ilmiah Universitas Padjadjaran

Abstrak

Chitosan Effect On The Survival Of Microbial Isolates From Selected Fresh Fruits And Vegetables In Indonesia

Aim: The objectives of this study were to determine the antimicrobial effectivity of chitosan against microbial isolates that obtained from fresh fruits and vegetables. Methods: The isolation of bacteria and fungi on fruit and vegetable samples was conducted by soaking the samples in sterile physiological saline for 10 min. The antimicrobial activity test was done using the pour plate method followed by determining the killing time contact. Results and Discussion: The chitosan showed antimicrobial activity against both the bacterial and fungal isolates obtained from fruit and vegetable samples. The chitosan concentration of 4% w/v was the effective concentration because it showed the reduction percentage in bacterial and fungal isolates colonies number until 99%. At a concentration of 0.2% w/v, the chitosan produces the same antimicrobial effect as triclosan. Interestingly, the activity of chitosan was higher than commercial sanitizer products that contain of nectarol and lime. The triclosan as the control test has taken less time for 2.5 min in killing time contact as compared with chitosan at the same concentration. Conclusion: It could be concluded that the chitosan has proven as natural sanitizer candidates in the future.