PRELIMINARY EVALUATION ON THE ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF CITRUS HYSTRIX OIL EMULSIONS STABILIZED BY TWEEN 80 AND SPAN 80

Abstract

A study was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial activities of the emulsions containing essential oil of Kaffir lime, Citrus hystrix. The emulsions were formulated according to the information obtained from the constructed phase equilibriums consisting of water, Tween 80, Span 80 and hexane. Stability tests were carried out within the following three weeks to determine the emulsions’ stability index, followed by antibacterial tests. Emulsion with surfactant mixture of Tween 80 and Span 80 at the ratio of 90:10 with 2% essential oil had the most effective antibacterial properties.