Analysis of antifungal properties of big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) seed extract on Aspergillus Niger /
by Paolo Miguel C. Navarro, Joevanni Paulo T. Gumban, & Anya Therese L. Soliva.
- [Iloilo City] : [Ateneo de Iloilo], c2023.
- 68 p.
This study aims to identify the antifungal properties of the big leaf mahogany (Swietenia Macrophylla King) aqueous seed extract against the fungi, namely, Aspergillus niger. Aspergillus niger is a fungus which is commonly found on crops. Mahogany seeds were collected, dried and extracted using 90% denatured ethanol. This study utilized the Kirby-Bauer Disk Diffusion method to evaluate the antifungal capabilities at concentrations of 25 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL and 100 mg/mL with distilled water and 70% thiophanate methyl as negative and positive control groups respectively. Aspergillus niger was grown on husked rice that was inoculated on unflavored gelatin and was subsequently subculture on nutrient agar. The results showed that the concentrations of 25 mg/mL and 50 mg/mL showed no zone of inhibition while the 100 mg/mL concentration exhibited an average zone of inhibition of 8.33±1.4434 mm. A One-way ANOVA shows that there is a significant difference in the zone of inhibition between the Aspergillus niger and the different seed extract concentrations. These findings suggest that the big-leaf mahogany has a limited antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and that further studies should be conducted. The researchers recommend testing the seed extract at various concentrations for determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungal concentration (MFC). Solvents such as ethanol should be investigated as it could provide a different result from aqueous extract. Overall, the big-leaf mahogany has shown potential as a natural antifungal agent and should be further researched.