Antibacterial Effect of Basil (Ocimum basilicum) and Table Salt as Alternative Disinfectants against Staphylococcus aureus

This study was undertaken to evaluate the potency of basil (Ocimum basilicum) extract and table salt as alternative disinfectants based on their effect in inhibiting bacterial proliferation. A sample of bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) with an initial mean density of 1.35 x 10(3) CFU/mL was used as the bacterial test culture. Treatments included basil extract (T1), table salt (T2), ethanol (T3, positive control) and distilled water (T4, negative control). The antibacterial effect of the treatments was evaluated in terms of the measurement of the zones of inhibition which was further validated by monitoring the mean recovery counts of bacteria post-application with the treatments given at different concentrations (100, 50, 25 and 10%). The results showed that the larger diameter of the zones of inhibition (with mean measurements that ranged from 17.65 to 20.98 mm) was related to the application of basil extract, table salt and ethanol applied at 100% concentration compared with the 50% (mean measurements ranged from 14.03 to 17.67 mm) underscoring the minimum inhibitory concentration of the candidate disinfectants at 50%. There was a comparable significant reduction of bacterial recovery counts associated with the application of basil extract and ethanol only at 3 h that were not sustained until 6 h. The results indicated that basil extract and table salt at the prescribed concentrations could be used and therefore recommended as disinfectants.