ABSTRACT
Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) is a quantitative technique of choice when assessing the antibacterial or antifungal properties of polar extracts or compounds. When the material to be tested is lipophilic, insolubility occurs and the turbidity generated interferes with optical density readings. It is thus preferable to use paper disc test on solid agar when assessing the antibacterial, antimycobacterial, or antifungal activities of lipophilic extracts or compounds. Extracts are strongly antibacterial or antifungal for MIC below 100 µg/mL, moderately antibacterial or antifungal for an MIC of 100–1000 µg/mL, weakly antibacterial or antifungal for MIC from 1000 to 5000 µg/mL, and very weakly antibacterial or antifungal for MIC above 5000 µg/mL. Extracts are active in inhibiting the mycelial growth of filamentous fungi (when mixed in agar) for an MIC below 5000 µg/mL.
