EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECTS OF BITTER COLA (GARCINIA KOLA), ALLIGATOR PEPPER (AFARAMOMUM MELEGUETA), AND MINTY SWEET (TOMTOM) ON PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS

ABSTRACT This study evaluates the antimicrobial effects of Garcinia kola (Bitter Kola), Aframomum melegueta (Alligator Pepper), and Minty Sweet (TomTom) against Candida albicans and Streptococcus spp. The research examines both aqueous and ethanolic extracts of each sample, as well as a combination of the three, using the agar diffusion method to assess antimicrobial potency. Results indicate varying degrees of antimicrobial activity across different extracts. For the Aqueous Extracts, it showed significant inhibition against Candida albicans, with the highest zone of inhibition observed for Cofex Cough Syrup (16 mm), the Bitter Kola Showed moderate inhibition against Candida albicans (12.7 mm) but was resistant to Streptococcus spp. (8.7 mm), Alligator Pepper Displayed moderate antifungal activity (12 mm) and weak antibacterial activity (8.7 mm), Minty Sweet (TomTom): Exhibited the least antimicrobial effect, with an inhibition zone of 12.3 mm for Candida albicans and 8.7 mm for Streptococcus spp .The combination of Bitter Kola, Alligator Pepper, and Minty Sweet demonstrated an improved inhibition against Candida albicans (15 mm) but remained resistant to Streptococcus spp. (11.7 mm).For the Ethanolic Extracts ,Bitter Kola Showed weaker inhibition against Candida albicans (12.7 mm) compared to its aqueous form and was resistant to Streptococcus spp. (9.7 mm), Alligator Pepper Demonstrated lower antimicrobial activity than its aqueous counterpart, with inhibition zones of 11.7 mm for Candida albicans and 7.7 mm for Streptococcus spp, and Minty Sweet (TomTom): Displayed the weakest effect, with a zone of 10 mm for Candida albicans and 7 mm for Streptococcus spp. The combination of Bitter kola, Alligator pepper, and Minty sweet Showed moderate improvement, with inhibition zones of 16.3 mm against Candida albicans and 7.3 mm against Streptococcus spp, though still not as effective as standard antibiotics. Comparative analysis through graphs highlights that aqueous extracts consistently exhibited greater antimicrobial activity than ethanolic extracts. While the individual substances demonstrated only mild antibacterial and antifungal properties, their combination showed a mild synergistic effect, particularly against Candida albicans. However, these natural extracts remain significantly less potent than standard antibiotics such as fluconazole (20 mm inhibition) and chloramphenicol (19.3 mm inhibition).These findings suggest that Garcinia kola, Aframomum melegueta, and Minty Sweet (TomTom) could serve as complementary natural antimicrobial agents. . The study emphasizes the importance of extraction methods in optimizing antimicrobial efficacy and suggests future research to isolate specific bioactive compounds, validate synergistic effects, and assess their therapeutic potential through in vivo and clinical studies .Further research is needed to optimize extraction methods and isolate specific bioactive compounds responsible for antimicrobial activity. Keywords; SAntimicrobial, Garcinia kola, Aframomum melegueta, Minty Sweet (TomTom), aqueous extract, ethanolic extract, inhibition zones, antibiotic resistance, synergistic effects, Candida albicans, Streptococcus spp.