Efficacy of Enriched Medium-chain Fatty Acids in Virgin Coconut Oil in Their Antibacterial Activity against Food Pathogens

Free fatty acids (FFA) have been previously shown to be an effective bactericidal agent. In this study, the FFA mixture was attempted isolate from virgin coconut oil (VCO) using lipases and fractionated obtain enriched medium-chain (MCFA) compare its antibacterial efficacy against food pathogens. Three types of – namely, lipozyme TL 100L, Candida rugosa lipase (CRL), porcine pancreas (PPL) were used their in VCO hydrolysis, which CRL found most efficient for process hydrolysis at water: buffer ratio 1:5, concentration 5310 U/g, pH 7, temperature 40 °C. The vacuum-distillation successfully fractionate initial into three fractions: Fraction I containing MCFA (C8–C12) plus II (C12–C14) III LCFA (C14–C20). Among these fractions, observed anti-agent four out five pathogens (negative result Salmonella typhimurium), followed by FFA. Antimicrobial activities study fractions on both Gram-positive strains Gram-negative strains.