ISOLATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIBACTERIAL EFFICACY OF ENDOPHYTIC BACTERIA IN ZINGIBER OFFICINALE AGAINST ISOLATED FOOD SPOILAGE PATHOGENS

Food remain a very crucial corridor for the transmission of foodborne causative organisms. Strategic research on food quality control has developed various innovative approach to control the spread of foodborne infections, increasing food quality preservation and healthy food safety. This study set out to identify endophytic bacteria and assess their antibacterial efficacy against isolated foodborne pathogens using endophytic bacteria obtained from Zingiber Officinale. Endophytic bacteria and bacteria found in spoiled food were identified using molecular, biochemical, and cultural methods. The results of the testing showed that Salmonella sp, Proteus sp and Bacillus sp. were the suspected isolated endophytic bacteria, and Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas sp., and Enterobacter sp were identified as food-borne pathogens from the spoilt bread. Salmonella enterica was identified as the endophytic bacterium through the analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence. Salmonella enterica and a few chosen bacteria have evolutionary similarities and differences that were brought to light by the phylogenetic tree. The Agar well diffusion method was applied to access antibacterial activity of the organism’s metabolite. The endophytes under test demonstrated antibacterial activity against the isolated food pathogens, with inhibition zones varying between 8.15±0.01and 24.50±0.04. This study shows that endophytic bacteria from Zingiber Officinale have the potential to replace chemically generated antibiotics in the fight against food-borne diseases. The frequency of foodborne disease cases will decrease if everyone involved receives adequate food safety education. In order to combat foodborne infections, endophytic bacteria may be the key to treatment development.