PENILAIAN AKTIVITI ANTIMIKROB DAN KANDUNGAN ANTIOKSIDAN PIGMEN BIJI KESUMBA MELALUI UJIAN BIOESEI

(EVALUATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY AND ANTIOXIDANT CONTENT OF ANNATTO SEED PIGMENT THROUGH BIOASSAY TESTING)

Abstract

Abstrak

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menilai potensi farmakologi pigmen semula jadi daripada biji kesumba (Bixa orellana) melalui analisis aktiviti antimikrob dan kandungan antioksidan. Pigmen utama yang dikenali sebagai bixin telah diekstrak menggunakan kaedah pelarut dan dianalisis untuk menilai keberkesanannya terhadap beberapa strain mikroorganisma patogenik. Mikrob yang dipilih dalam kajian ini terdiri daripada kumpulan bakteria gram-positif dan gram-negatif, serta kulat yis dan dermatofit. Antara strain yang diuji termasuklah Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Microsporum canis dan Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Semua kultur mikroorganisma diperoleh daripada American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) dan diuji menggunakan kaedah Kepekatan Inhibitori Minimum (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration, MIC) untuk menentukan keberkesanan antimikrob bixin. Selain daripada itu, kandungan antioksidan pigmen kesumba dinilai menggunakan kaedah DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), yang mengukur keupayaan bahan untuk menstabilkan radikal bebas. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa pigmen kesumba mempamerkan aktiviti antimikrob yang ketara, khususnya terhadap bakteria gram-positif seperti S. aureus dan dermatofit seperti T. mentagrophytes. Aktiviti antioksidan yang tinggi turut menyumbang kepada kestabilan struktur molekul bixin dan meningkatkan potensinya sebagai agen terapeutik. Secara keseluruhannya, penemuan ini menyokong potensi penggunaan bixin sebagai bahan semula jadi dalam formulasi farmaseutikal moden. Kajian ini juga mengukuhkan lagi nilai perubatan kesumba yang telah lama diamalkan dalam perubatan tradisional Melayu, sekaligus menunjukkan bahawa pengetahuan etnobotani tradisi masih relevan dalam pembangunan ubat-ubatan masa kini.

Kata kunci: Kesumba, Bixa orellana, bixin, aktiviti bioesei, farmakologi

Abstract 

This study aims to evaluate the pharmacological potential of a natural pigment derived from annatto seeds (Bixa orellana) by analysing its antimicrobial activity and antioxidant content. The main pigment, known as bixin, was extracted using a solvent and analysed to assess its effectiveness against several pathogenic microbial strains. The selected microbes in this study included gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as yeast and dermatophytic fungi. The strains tested were Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Microsporum canis, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. All the microbial samples were sourced from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and were tested using the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) method to see how well bixin could fight against them. In addition, the antioxidant content of the annatto pigment was assessed using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method, which measures the compound's ability to stabilise free radicals. The results of the study indicated that annatto pigment exhibited significant antimicrobial activity, particularly against gram-positive bacteria such as S. aureus and dermatophyte T. mentagrophytes. Its strong antioxidant activity also contributes to the stability of the bixin molecular structure, enhancing its potential as a therapeutic agent. Overall, these findings support the potential application of bixin as a natural compound in modern pharmaceutical formulations. This study also reinforces the medicinal value of annatto, which has long been used in traditional Malay medicine, highlighting the continued relevance of traditional ethnobotanical knowledge in contemporary drug development. 

Keywords: Annato, Bixa orellana, bixin, bioassay activity, pharmacology