Christine E. Hortillosa, Bryan P. Javier, Riznelle Anne D. Ramos (March 2007)
Philippine Science High School Western Visayas Campus – Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PSHS WVC), Brgy. Bito-on, Jaro, Iloilo City 5000, Philippines
ABSTRACT
Saponins are glycosides with a distinctive foaming characteristic that has been found out to have antibacterial property.
All parts of Polynesian box fruit, a native mangrove associate of Asia and the Pacific Islands, contain saponin.
Escherichia coli are bacteria that cause complications of deadly proportions to humans. It may give rise to infections in wounds, the urinary tract, biliary tract, and abdominal cavity and can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome.
This study aims to extract saponin from B.asiatica seeds and to determine the least concentration that could inhibit the growth of E.coli.
Ethanol was used as a solvent to extract saponin from B.asiatica seeds. The liquid extract was purified using benzene and butanol. It was then concentrated through the rotary evaporator. Two-fold macrodilution assay was conducted to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of the B.asiatica seed extract.
Results of the study showed that the produced ethanol extract of B.asiatica seeds indeed contain saponin. However, its minimum inhibitory concentration against E.coli was not determined due to procedural errors committed during the conduct of the study.