Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of Cucurbita maxima Seed Oil Against Multidrug-Resistant Foodborne Pathogens

Esra Elmaghbub; Halima Nashnush; Rabya Lahmer

doi:10.54361/ajmas.258423

Authors

Esra Elmaghbub Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7309-2666
Halima Nashnush Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0730-5344
Rabya Lahmer Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4698-7464

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54361/ajmas.258423

Keywords:

Cucurbita maxima Seed Oil, Antibacterial Activity, Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria, Foodborne Pathogens; Libya

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity of cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil (Cucurbita maxima) against selected foodborne multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. The oil's inhibitory effect was evaluated against Klebsiella pneumoina, Salmonella enterica, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus using the agar well diffusion method. Seven concentrations (5%-100%) were tested with amoxicillin as the positive control and dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) 5% as the negative control. The results demonstrated that pumpkin seed oil exhibited a concentration-dependent antibacterial activity. Significant inhibition was observed even at low concentrations (5%), with significant differences between the different concentrations (p<0.05). These findings suggest that Cucurbita maxima seed oil promises to be a natural antibacterial agent and could serve as an alternative for managing MDR foodborne infections.