Inhibitory Effects of Heated Spices on Growth of Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus By Vimal Vyas Abstract  Spices have been used for centuries in cooking, preserving, and for medicinal properties.  Spices and their derivatives have been reported to possess anti-microbial properties against food-borne pathogens. 1  There has been very little, if any, research on anti-microbial potential of cooked spices.  Very little known data exist of how cooked spices affect daily encountered bacteria like S. aureus and Salmonella.  To see if cooked spices have anti-microbial activity against commonly encountered bacteria like Salmonella and S. aureus.  To test if Salmonella and S. aureus respond differently to the spices. York College of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology Methods and Materials (1) Four cooking oils were first tested to measure inhibition potential on the bacteria. Table 1: The results of inhibition test for oils. OilsSalmonellaS.aureus Corn oil 0.6mm Not Clear Peanut oil NoneNone Sesame oil None Not Clear Mustard oil NoneNone (2) Peanut oil was chosen, and suspensions(1g/10ml) with each of 10 spice were created. (3) A 10% suspension was used. (4) The disk diffusion method was used. (5) The disks were inoculated with 30µl of spice suspension, and one was placed in each of four quadrants of a dish. The method was repeated for each spice. (6) The petri dishes were incubated at 37˚C for 24hrs. (7) The zones of inhibition were measured the next day. Results The experiment found that there was significant difference in inhibition potential of paprika, masala, turmeric, and sage on the bacteria tested. Discussion  The anti-microbial activity of spices may be caused by membrane disruption. 3  The compounds that make up the spices may react differently with bacteria membranes, and could be the cause of disparity of their anti-microbial potential. 3 Figure1: The disk diffusion measurement method. Ten common spices: black pepper, chili powder, cinnamon cloves, coriander, cumin, masala, paprika, sage, and turmeric were mixed in peanut oil, heated, and tested individually for anti-microbial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella. The disk diffusion method was used. Cinnamon (1.75mm) was the most and chili powder (0.4mm) was the least effective on S.aureus. Paprika (3.98mm) was the most, and sage (0mm) was the least effective spice on Salmonella. The sensitivity of the bacteria to paprika, masala, turmeric, and sage were found to be significantly different (t-test, p<0.05). The compounds that make up the spices may have affected the bacteria differently.  spices very greatly in their inhibitory effects on the bacteria. 2 Literature Cited 1: Arora, D., and Kaur, J Antimicrobial Activity of Spices. Int. Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 12: : Billing, J., and Sherman, P Antimicrobial Function of Spices: Why Some Like It Hot. The Quarterly Review of Biology 73: : Kubo, L et al Antibacterial Activity of Coriander Volatile Compound Against Salmonella choleraesuis. J. Agri. Food Chem 35: Acknowledgements Dr. Carolyn Mathur and Dr. Brad Rehnberg Introduction Objectives of the Study