Biosaintifika: Journal of Biology & Biology Education
Vol. 18 No. 1 (2026): April 2026

Potential of Wild Ginger (Zingiber zerumbet) Rhizome Extract as Antioxidant and Antibacterial

Sulisetijono Sulisetijono (Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia)
Abdul Rasyid Fakhrun Gani (National Research and Innovation Agency, Indonesia)
Noviansyah Kusmahardhika (Graduate Institute of Science Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan)



Article Info

Publish Date
28 Apr 2026

Abstract

Indonesian people have long used wild ginger (Zingiber zerumbet) as an ingredient in traditional medicine and rituals. Its rhizomes have been shown to contain several bioactive compounds with antioxidant and antibiotic activity that are believed to be able to treat typhoid fever. This study aims to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Z. zerumbet extract using ethanol and methanol as solvents. Z. zerumbet extract was purified, LC-MS tests were conducted to identify active compounds, phenolic and flavonoid content tests were conducted using colorimetry methods, DPPH tests were conducted to measure antioxidant activity, and Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentrations (MBC) tests were conducted to measure antibacterial activity. LC-MS analysis proved that Z. zerumbet contains active compounds such as flavonoids with their derivatives, such as kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin, etc. Z. zerumbet with ethanol solvent had stronger antioxidant activity (IC₅₀ = 125.97 μg/mL) than methanol solvent (IC₅₀ = 404.91 μg/mL). In contrast, ethanol solvent had lower antibacterial activity than methanol solvent. The findings of this study show that the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Z. zerumbet depend on the solvent used and can be used as an alternative natural remedy for treating typhoid-related infections. This research supports the three goals of the SDGs by strengthening public knowledge of Z. zerumbet as a traditional medicinal ingredient, thereby improving disease control and the quality of public health through natural medicinal ingredients. 

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

biosaintifika

Publisher

Subject

Agriculture, Biological Sciences & Forestry

Description

Biosaintifika: Journal of Biology & Biology Education {PISSN 2085-191X| EISSN 2338-7610} published scientific papers on the results of biology and biology education research {see Focus and Scope}. Editor accepts the article has not been published in other media with the writing format as listed on ...