Qom University of Medical Sciences Journal

Background and Objectives:Today, disadvantages of antibiotics and synthetic preservatives have been identified, and researchers are seeking natural and safe alternatives. Annatto dye is one of the commonly used dyes in the food industry, which has antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The objective of this study was to determine the antimicrobial effect of annatto dye on some pathogenic bacteria.

Methods: In this study, annatto dye was extracted from annatto seeds by maceration methods and after filtration, it was powdered by vacuum oven. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated by disc diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined using agar dilution method against Staphylococcus aureus, listeria innocua, Bacillus cereus and Salmonella enteritidis.

Results: In this study, Bacillus cereus and Salmonella enteritidis, respectively, showed the highest and the lowest sensitivity to annatto dye. S. enteritidis had the highest MIC among the tested bacteria, and MBC was not observed only for S. enteritidis in the tested concentrations of annatto dye.

Conclusion: According to the results of this study, annatto dye was effective on the growth of all tested bacteria. Also, annatto dye had more antimicrobial effect on the tested gram-positive bacteria compared to gram-negative bacteria. Thus, considering the results of the experiment, annatto dye can be used as an inhibitor of bacterial growth.