Black Pepper– An Overview

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) native of south India popularly known as” king of spices”. Pepper is mostly used in the curry recipes as masalas and also as an ingredient in the prescriptions of folk medicine, Ayurveda, and traditional medicinal systems. The spicy tang of pepper is due to the presence of piperamides which are the pungent bioactive alkaloids accumulate in the skin and seeds of the fruit. Among them, piperine is the major chemical constituent responsible for the bitter taste of the black pepper.

In the present study, piperine was evaluated for its antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, and Fusarium oxysporum. The antibacterial activity was measured by agar well diffusion method and antifungal activity by poisoned food technique. Piperine showed antimicrobial activity against all tested bacteria with zone of inhibition ranged from 8-18mm. maximum zone of inhibition was against Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (18mm) and minimum against Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (8mm). Piperine showed maximum antifungal activity towards Fusarium oxysporum (14mm) and very least effect against Aspergillus niger (38mm). The results showed significant activity of piperine and suggesting its use as a natural antimicrobial agent.