Comparative Study on the Antibacterial Activity of Crude Ethanolic Extracts from Common Philippine Capsicum Fruits

Currently, many pathogenic bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics and scientists are now looking for alternatives to control them. Known for their pungent flavor, chili peppers have been proved to possess bactericidal agents. However, only a small number of researches on the antibacterial activities of chili peppers exist in the Philippines which is home to the famous Capsicum frutescens L. or locally known as siling labuyo. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the antibacterial activity of crude ethanolic extracts of select common Philippine Capsicum cultivars namely Capsicum frutescens L. (siling labuyo), Capsicum annuum var. Longum (siling pansigang) and Capsicum chinense Habanero (siling Habanero) on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test. All of the three extracts were found to be effective against S. aureus while only C. frutescens L. was effective against E. coli, with its inhibition zone ranging from 0 to 1.88 mm. Meanwhile against S. aureus, C. frutescens L. ranged from 8.2 to 11.2 mm, C. chinense Habanero ranged from 1.8 to 5.2 mm while C. annuum var. Longum ranged from 2 to 4.8 mm. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found among the cultivars and concentrations. Among the three cultivars, C. frutescens L. extract had significant effects (p < 0.05) on both S. aureus and E. coli thus displaying the highest antibacterial activity. This study exhibits the potential of common Philippine Capsicum cultivars as natural antibacterial products.