Antimicrobial activity of mango sap.
Negi P. S., John K. S., Rao U. J. S. P.
Author Affiliation: Department of Human Resource Development, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, India.
European Food Research and Technology 214 : 327-330
Abstract : Mango is an important tropical fruit. During harvesting of the fruit, sap oozes out at the abscission zone, which is separable into an aqueous phase (AP) and a non-aqueous phase (NAP). The sap from different Indian mango cultivars (Mallika, Totapuri, Raspuri and Seedling) was tested against different fungi and bacteria to evaluate its antimicrobial activity. Fusarium moniliforme was the most resistant whereas Penicillium spp. was the most sensitive to the NAP of sap. Likewise, the NAP of sap was least effective against Escherichia coli while Bacillus cereus was most sensitive to it. The AP of sap did not show antimicrobial activity even at higher concentrations. The most effective antifungal activity was exhibited by mango sap from the Mallika variety, whereas sap from different cultivars showed variable antibacterial activity. Mango sap has a typical raw mango aroma. This, combined with its antimicrobial properties may make it suitable for use as a preservative and a flavouring agent in food.