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This study was carried out to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of red ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A.Meyer) against several foodborne pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. The antimicrobial effect was determined by agar diffusion method using red ginseng extract, crude saponin and non-water-soluble fractions. Red ginseng extract showed antimicrobial effect against S. aureus, but not C. albicans or A. niger. The extract showed anti-bacterial activity at concentration above 30% against S. aureus, which cause both food poisoning and atophic dermatitis. Crude saponin showed antibacterial activity above 7.5% against the bacterium. However, the ginsenosides purified from crude saponin showed no antimicrobial activities at 100-200 μg/mL. To investigate the mode of growth inhibition, red ginseng extract and crude saponin were added to 0.85% NaCl solution containing S. aureus and then incubated at 35 o C for 12 h. The results showed that viable cells were rapidly reduced in above 10% concentration of red ginseng extract and above 2% of crude saponin, respectively. However, the crude saponin and red ginseng extract did not inhibit the bacterial cells completely at those same concentrations. On the other hand, whereas all non-water-soluble fractions showed inhibition zones above 10 mm against S. aureus, they showed no inhibition effects against E. coli, C. albicans or A. niger. The methanol fraction-1 (MF-1) showed the highest antibacterial activity against S. aureus, and the MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) was 0.625 mg/mL. These results suggest that red ginseng extract, crude saponin and non-water-soluble fractions show selective antibacterial activity against S. aureus, and non-water-soluble fractions might be used as natural antibacterial agents.
