ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECTS OF KITCHEN SOOT BLENDED WITH SHEA BUTTER AND ANTIBIOTICS

Abstract

The increasing resistance of microorganisms to conventional antimicrobials necessitate the research for the discovery of newer or alternative antimicrobial agents. Kitchen soot and shea butter are often used by most locals for treatment of various disease conditions, especially skin diseases. Therefore, this study assessed the synergistic antimicrobial effects of kitchen soot, shea butter and antibiotics. Eight different kitchen soot samples were collected from various locations within Samaru campus of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and transported to the diagnostic bacteriology laboratory, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The sterility and purity of the kitchen soot and shea butter were determined in accordance with standard procedures. Soot and soot blended with shea butter concentrations were made by dissolving 1 g of the soot powder in 9 mL of distilled water, and 0.5 g of soot and 0.5 mL of molten shea butter in 9 mL of sterile distilled water to make a concentration of 100 mg/mL, respectively, and thereafter 50 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL, 12.5 mg/mL, and 6.25 mg/mL, respectively. The different concentrations were tested against Citrobaacter freundii, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Corynebacteriun pseudotuberculosis and Streptococcus pyogenes using agar well diffusion method. Findings revealed that the soot alone or blended with shea butter had no antimicrobial activity against the selected bacteria. However, soot blended with shea butter and antibiotics produced synergistic antibacterial effects against C. pseudotuberculosis, Citrobacter freundii & S. aureus. The active constituent of the soot and shea butter should be established, while further studies to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations of the different combinations are recommended.