Project Materials

ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF SWEET ORANGE CITRUS SINENSIS ON STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

Chapter one

INTRODUCTION

Sweet orange is a strum from the Rutaceae plant family with the scientific name Citrus Simrnsia. They are berries, but due to their peculiar structure, they are known as fresperidiums. Sweet oranges first appeared in southern China thousands of years ago.

Now, they are the most popular and widely distributed citrus fruits. Citrus saneness (sweet oranges) may be grown in most tropical regions with more than five months of sunlight and a generally equal distribution of rainfall throughout the year.

The trees can be produced from seed, but it is more common to purchase budded citrus sincensis from private nurseries or government agricultural sources.

Citrus saneness is a spreading evergreen, sometimes spiny tree up to 12m tall with ovale elliptic leaves that are typically 7-10cm long, dark green, and channelled near the base.

They are carried on short articulated petioles with extremely narrow wins. The leaves are intensely perfumed, and the white sweet-smelling blooms are smaller than others in the group.

The spherical fruits have a diameter of up to 12cm. Deep yellow to orange or, in humid climates, green when ripe. Sweet oranges (citrus saneness) are a trotric crop. They are also annual crops (Cobley, 1976).

In a typical sweet orange, the excerpt and mesa carp are leathery and preserve the delicious inner tissue extracted from the endocarp from injury and desiccation.

The fruit’s epidermis has a thick cuticle and a variable number of stomata, while the excerpt or flavedo is a layer of irregular photosynthetically active parenchyma cells that are green in immature fruit but turn orange or greenish as they mature. The mesocarp is thicker than the exocarp and comprised of intercellular spaces.

The mesocarp is referred to as the albedo. It contains high levels of vitamin C, sugar, cellulose, and pectin. The bird of the fruit is made up of the mesocarp and the excarp. The ovary’s developing carpels occupy the centre of the fruit and are arranged in multiple closely packed segments around the pithy axis.

Each segment begins with a single carpal and is encircled by a thin, translucent endocarp or “ray” from which multi-cellular hairs sprout to fill the segment. Each massive cell or pulp vesicle of these hairs fills with juice, forming the edible portion of the fruit developed for agricultural production.

The seed rests on the axle placenta close to the central axis, and the fruit in nature contains about 40-45 percent juice. 30 percent rind, 30 percent pulp, and seeds, which collectively consist of approximately 90 percent water. 5-10% sugar. 1-2 % petunias include different acids, vital oils, proteins, and minerals.

In general, the fruit contains 80-90% sugar and acids, with the relative proportions varied amongst citrus species. Citric acid is the most prevalent acid in the sap.

Pectin in the juice gives it a hazy, colloidal appearance. Cilrus nsinensis contains mineral salts, glycosides, a tiny amount of protein, and vitamin (Cobley 1976).

It is a good source of cirus and citrus paradisc (grape fruit). Citrus limon (lemon), citrus aurantatifolia (lime), citrus aurantinum (sour orange). Citrus reticulate (tangerine and maudane), citrus grandis (pummelo), and citrus medicinal (citron). Sugar and acids differ by species.

Sweet orange (citrus smeasin) has medicinal properties because to its high vitamin C concentration, which is thought to encourage the formation of white blood cells, including neutrophib, which attack foreign antigens such as bacteria and viruses.

It also increases the body’s production of antibodies and interferon, which protects us from viral invaders and cancer cells. (Uddoh 1998). In 1756, John Lind scientifically proved the value of vitamin C from citrus fruits in preventing scurvy.

The skin is generally an excellent barrier to infections, although it can be disrupted by wounds, surgery, or insect “bites” for example. Wounds can harbour a wide range of potential pathogens capable of producing either systemic disease (disease that affects the entire body) or localised disease.

Bacterial infections can enter via “bites” (Singleton, 1995). According to Marmoin et al. (1973), wound infections are caused by a variety of species, including propionibacterium, Klebsiella, staphylococcus, and Escherichia coli.

Skin pustules, boils, carbunictes, impetize, penphigus, neonatorum, sycosis barbae, paronychia styles, blepheritis, and conjunctivitis are examples of superficial infections from accidental and surgical wounds.

Statement of the Problem

Most wound infections are caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and other microorganisms (Bhata et al. 1998), and vitamin C is thought to have a significant role in protecting against bacterial and viral infection (Okaka et al. 2002).

The consumption of vitamin C-rich orange juice boosts the development of white blood cells, primarily neutrophils, which fight against germs and viruses and speed up wound healing (Rudolph et al 1978).

Therefore, it is vital to conduct study to assess the antibacterial activity of sweet orange on S. aureus and E. coli involved in wound infections.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

1. To investigate the antibacterial properties of orange juice (citurs sinensis) against staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli isolated from wound infections.

2. Determine the antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of the isolated organism.

HYPOTEHSES

Ho: Orange (citrus sinensis) possesses antibacterial properties against S. aureus and E. coli isolated from wound infections.

Hi: Orange (citrus sinensis) shows no antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E.Coli isolated from wound infections.

Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli are known to cause wound infections.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The findings of this study will determine the antibacterial activity of citrus sinensis against S. aureus and E.Coli implicated in wound infection.

If the results are positive, sweet orange eating will be recommended as a preventive therapy (since it boosts the immune system of those involved). It is inherently safer than sweet oranges, which is a good thing.