Journal of Innovative and Creativity
Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026)

Antibacterial Activity of n-Hexane, Ethyl Acetate, and Ethanol Extracts of Kepundung Seeds (Baccaurea racemosa Mull.Arg.) Against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus: A Comparative Study with Phytochemical Profiling

Nilsya Febrika Zebua (Universitas Tjut Nyak Dhien)
Syarifah Nadia (Universitas Tjut Nyak Dhien)
Ika Julianti Tambunan (Universitas Tjut Nyak Dhien)
Marcella Maran Gabean (Universitas Tjut Nyak Dhien)
Imanuel Damanik (Universitas Tjut Nyak Dhien)



Article Info

Publish Date
22 Feb 2026

Abstract

Background: Bacterial infections remain a major global health burden, with antibiotic resistance increasingly limiting treatment options. Natural plant-based compounds represent a promising alternative source of antimicrobial agents. Baccaurea racemosa Mull.Arg. (kepundung), a tropical fruit plant native to Southeast Asia, is traditionally used in folk medicine; however, its seed fractions have not been comprehensively evaluated for antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens in a single systematic study. Objectives: This study aimed to characterize the secondary metabolite profile and evaluate the comparative antibacterial activity of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and ethanol extracts of B. racemosa seeds against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. Methods: Seeds were subjected to successive maceration using solvents of increasing polarity (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol). Phytochemical screening was performed using standard colorimetric assays. Antibacterial activity was assessed by the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method at concentrations of 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg/mL, with chloramphenicol as positive control and 1% DMSO as negative control. Results: Phytochemical screening detected alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, glycosides, saponins, and steroids in all extracts. Against E. coli, the ethanol extract exhibited the largest inhibition zone (44.5 ± 1.7 mm at 200 mg/mL), classified as very strong (>20 mm), compared to ethyl acetate (8.25 ± 3.4 mm) and n-hexane (6.36 ± 1.9 mm). Against S. aureus, the ethanol extract produced an inhibition zone of 13.68 ± 0.33 mm, followed by ethyl acetate (7.46 ± 4.7 mm) and n-hexane (5.08 ± 0.78 mm). The ethanol extract demonstrated significantly higher activity against E. coli than S. aureus (p < 0.05), while n-hexane and ethyl acetate fractions showed comparable moderate activity against both bacteria. Conclusion: Baccaurea racemosa seed ethanol extract demonstrates significant antibacterial activity, particularly against Gram-negative E. coli, attributed to its polar phenolic compounds including flavonoids and tannins. These findings support the potential of B. racemosa seeds as a source of natural antibacterial agents for further pharmaceutical development.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

joecy

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Mathematics Social Sciences Other

Description

Journal of Innovative and Creatifity (JOECY) publishes research articles in the field of education which report empirical research on topics that are significant across educational contexts, in terms of design and findings. The topic could be in curriculum, teaching learning, evaluation, quality ...