Antibacterial potential of the ethanolic extract of pericarp of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli

Cocoa pericarp is a waste product in the cocoa industry, but it contains a large amount of bioactive compounds with high antibacterial potential. The objective of this research was to evaluate the antibacterial potential of the ethanolic extract of cocoa pericarp (Theobroma cacao L.) on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The ethanolic extraction was carried out by digestion was performed (Soto Hernández et al., 2019). Four (4) concentrations (25 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL, 75 mg/mL, and 100 mg/mL) and a negative control (sterilized distilled water) were established. The agar well diffusion method was used (Balouiri et al., 2016). The results showed that S. aureus bacteria were much more sensitive to cocoa pericarp ethanolic extract (CPE) than E. coli, yielding average inhibition zones of 10.8 and 13.53 mm at concentrations of 50 mg/mL and 75 mg/mL, unlike E. coli, which had averages of 9.88 and 9.46 mm at the same concentrations. The concentration with the greatest inhibitory power on both bacteria was 100 mg/mL, yielding average inhibition halo values of 14.84 and 17.68 mm on E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. These results demonstrate that EPC has high antibacterial power on Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria, with the former being more susceptible to this natural antimicrobial. In view of the antibacterial properties observed, EPC has the potential to be developed as a natural antimicrobial agent in food preservation.