1 

Ability of Ethanol Extract from Ajwa and Sukkari Dates (Phoenix 

dactylifera L.) in Inhibiting the Growth of Methicillin-Resistant 

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) 
 

Putra Rahmadea Utami1, Sri Indrayati1, Nur Hayatang1 
 

 
1Department of Medical Laboratory 

Technology, Faculty of Health 

Science, Universitas Perintis 

Indonesia, Padang, Indonesia  

Correspondence: 

Putra Rahmadea Utami,  

Jl. Adinegoro KM 17, Simpang 

Kalumpang, Lubuk Buaya, Padang, 

West Sumatera, Indonesia 

Zip Code: 25586 

 

Email: 

putrarahmadeautami123@gmail.com 

 

Received: December 8th, 2020 

Revised: March 12th, 2021 

Accepted: March 15th, 2021 

Published: April 28th, 2021 

 

DOI: 10.33086/ijmlst.v3i1.1848 

 

 

 Abstract 

Staphylococcus aureus is a pathogenic bacterium that 

spread throughout the world and still a problem that 

continues to increase both in hospitals and the community. 

Infections due to S. aureus usually treated with antibiotics, 

but in some cases, several strains of S. aureus found to be 

resistant to antibiotics, such as Methicillin-Resistant 

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Based on the previous 

research, the ethanol extract from Ajwa and Sukkari dates 

formed an inhibitory zone against the MRSA bacteria 

growth. This study aims to determine the inhibition of the 

ethanol extract from Ajwa and Sukkari variety of dates 

(Phoenix dactylifera L.) on the S. aureus growth. The 

ethanol extract from Ajwa and Sukkari dates with a 

concentration of 5 mg/mL, 10 mg/mL, 15 mg/mL, and 20 

mg/mL resulted in the same inhibition zone with a 

diameter of ≤ 6 mm which categorized as weak (resistant), 

whereas the positive control ciprofloxacin had a resistance 

zone with a diameter of 9 mm. This study results 

concluded that the ethanol extract of Ajwa and Sukkari 

dates only has a maximum concentration of 20 mg/mL, 

which is still classified as a low concentration and has not 

been able to inhibit MRSA bacteria growth. 

Keywords 

Dates Ajwa, Dates Sukkari, Extract Ethanol, MRSA. 

 
  

 

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted 

use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ©2021 by author. 

 

INTRODUCTION 

Staphylococcus aureus is treatable with 

antibiotics, but several strains of S. 

aureus found to be resistant to antibiotics, 

such as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus 

aureus (MRSA). The spread of MRSA has 

been the subject of several studies because 

the danger of antibiotic resistance is a serious 

world health problem in both developed and 

developing countries. In 2010, the prevalence 

mailto:putrarahmadeautami123@gmail.com
https://journal2.unusa.ac.id/index.php/IJMLST/article/view/1848/version/2332


 

 

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of MRSA is 28% (Hong Kong and Indonesia) 

and 70% (Korea) among all clinical isolates 

of S. aureus, while the S. aureus infections 

found in related communities in Asian 

countries varied widely, from 5–35% (1). 

The presence of MRSA found in the 

hospital environment. The study of Vysakh & 

Jeya (2) obtained 450 S. aureus isolates 

collected from patients from several hospitals 

in India, which 121 positives for MRSA 

(27%) and 329 as MSA (73%). The 

University of Alexandria, which collected 50 

isolates of S. aureus strains from several 

hospitals, found 40% strains resistant to the 

antibiotics Oxacillin and cefoxitin, which 

indicates the presence of MRSA in these 

isolates (2). However, research conducted in 

Indonesia found that the prevalence of 

MRSA in RSUD Dr. Sutomo Surabaya, 

Indonesia was 8.2%. Despite the results, the 

study showed that with the low prevalence of 

MRSA in Indonesia, a coping strategy still 

needed to prevent further infection (1,3). 

Dates are one of the plants in their role as 

medicine and food. Dates are a food 

ingredient that is rich in vitamins, minerals, 

fiber and sugar. In some varieties, the sugar 

content of dates can reach up to 88%. Many 

researchers researched twelve dates varieties 

to find out their chemical content, such as 

flavonoid compound (1,2). Aldaihan and 

Bhat examined the benefits of dates (Phoenix 

dactylifera L) in vitro and found that one of 

its benefits is that they have antibacterial 

properties. This research showed that 

flavonoids are the active substances in dates. 

Flavonoids can be used as 

immunomodulators to increase the work of 

macrophages on pathogenic microbial 

phagocytes that attack the body (4,5). Based 

on the previous research, the ethanol extract 

from Ajwa and Sukkari dates formed an 

inhibitory zone against the MRSA bacteria 

growth (2). 

Extraction is a process of separating a 

substance based on differences in its 

solubility in two different insoluble liquids, 

usually water and other organic solvents such 

as nutritious substances or active substances 

from a part of medicinal plants, animals, and 

several types of fish, including marine biota 

(3). Due to the different thickness of plant 

and animal cells, an extraction method with a 

particular solvent needed. This extraction 

method is based on the principle of mass 

transfer agent component in a solvent, 

wherein the displacement began in the 

interface layer and then diffuses into the 

solvent (6). This study aims to determine the 

inhibition of the ethanol extract from Ajwa 

and Sukkari variety of dates (Phoenix 

dactylifera L.) on the S. aureus growth. 

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS  

This research used an experimental 

research design and conducted in July-

August 2020 at the Microbiology Laboratory 

of Andalas University, Padang, Indonesia. 



 

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This study performed to determine the 

inhibition zone of the ethanol extract from 

Ajwa and Sukkari dates against the MRSA. 

This study used the ethanol extract from 

Ajwa and Sukkari dates. Extraction was 

carried out using 96% ethanol solvent for 

3x24 hours and evaporated using a rotary 

evaporator to obtain a thick extract of ± 150 

g. The extract concentrations used were 5 

mg/mL, 10 mg/mL, 15 mg/mL and 20 

mg/mL. The study used MRSA bacteria, 

namely S. aureus. Bacterial isolates obtained 

from RSUP Dr. M. Djamil Padang, 

Indonesia. Bacteria isolates were resistant to 

penicillin-derived antibiotics. The positive 

control used ciprofloxacin, while the 

negative control used sterile aquadest for the 

treatment. 

 

RESULTS 

Characteristics of Ethanol Extract of 

Sukkari and Ajwa Dates 

The pulp of Ajwa and Sukkari dates each 

±500 g separated from the seeds. 

Furthermore, from the ethanol extract, each 

obtained ±150 g of thick extract. The thick 

extracts from Ajwa dates and Sukkari dates 

shown in Figure 1. The color of Sukkari dates 

is darker than Ajwa dates. 

 

 

 

Characteristics of Methicillin-Resistant 

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) 

The bacteria used were MRSA bacteria 

obtained from the Microbiology Laboratory 

of Andalas University, Padang. The MRSA 

bacterial suspension is already present in the 

media (Figure 2). 

Inhibition Test of Ethanol Extract of Ajwa 

Dates and Sukkari on the Growth of 

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus 

aureus 

The test results of the inhibition of the 

ethanol extract of Ajwa and Sukkari dates 

with various concentrations of 5 mg/mL, 10 

mg/mL, 15 mg/mL, and 20 mg/mL can be 

seen in Figure 3. This study result showed 

that the ethanol extract compounds from 

Sukkari and Ajwa dates could not inhibit 

MRSA bacteria growth. After that, it 

observed that there was no clear zone or zone 

of inhibition around the disc. 

In this study, the positive control were 

used ciprofloxacin 50 mg, while the negative 

control were used sterile distilled water. 

Table 1 showed that the extract from Ajwa 

and Sukkari dates could not inhibit MRSA 

bacteria growth. A seen in Figure 2, the zone 

of clearance appears from disk diameter 

paper discs. Repetition performed three times 

to show the inhibition zone diameter ≤ 6 mm 

(diameter paper discs).  

 

 



 

 

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Figure 1. Dates extract using ethanol solvent. (a) Sukkari, (b) Ajwa. 

 

 
  

Figure 2. Characteristics of MRSA. (a) MRSA turbidity compared to McFarland standard of 0.5 

(left) and bacterial suspense (right), (b) The arrow in figure B shows the MRSA colony of 

bacteria, (c) The arrow in Figure C shows cefoxitin resistance. 

 

. 

   

Figure 3. Inhibition test. (a) Sukkari dates ethanol extract concentrations of 5 mg/mL, 10 

mg/mL, 15 mg/mL, and 20 mg/mL, (b) Ajwa date ethanol extract concentrations of 5 mg/mL, 10 

mg/mL, 15 mg/mL, and 20 mg/mL, (c) and Ciprofloxacin. 

 

 

 

 

a b 

a b c 

a b c 



 

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Table 1. The results of the inhibition test of MRSA 

Ethanol Extract 

Dates 

Concentration 

(mg/mL) 

Extract Repetition (mm) 
X 

1 2 3 

Ajwa dates 

  

  

  

5 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 

10 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 

15 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 

20 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 

Sukkari dates 

  

  

  

5 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 

10 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 

15 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 

20 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 ≤ 6 

Control positive Ciprofloxacin 

50 mg 

    9   

Negative control Aquadest     ≤ 6   

Note: Description of disc paper diameter = 6 mm 

 

 

DISCUSSION 

The study results showed no inhibition 

zone formed from the ethanol extract of Ajwa 

and Sukkari dates against the growth of 

MRSA bacteria. Ajwa and Sukkari dates 

ethanol extract with concentrations of 5 

mg/mL, 10 mg/mL, 15 mg/mL and 20 

mg/mL formed weak (resistant) inhibition 

zone diameter of ≤6 mm. Meanwhile, the 

positive control ciprofloxacin formed an 

inhibition zone with a diameter of 9 mm (7). 

This condition happened because the 

bacteria used for this study was MRSA, 

where these bacteria are a group of bacteria 

that are already resistant to antibiotics. 

MRSA is a S. aureus that immune to 

methicillin-type antibiotics. MRSA 

experiences resistance due to genetic changes 

caused by irrational exposure to antibiotic 

therapy (8). Besides, the research results also 

prove that MRSA is also resistant to other 

antibiotics. This methicillin resistance will be 

followed by the simultaneous emergence of 

resistance to a large number of other 

antibiotic classes through the acquisition of 

additional receptor determinants, or as a 

result of mutations. All of which will cause 

the receptors at the target site to become 

resistant (9,10). 

One of the factors of differences in 

sensitivity patterns or determinants of 

bacterial resistance to antimicrobials carries 

by genetic information outside the 

chromosomes, namely plasmid (11). S. 

aureus is a bacterium that has small plasmids 

and large plasmids that have more than one 

resistance gene. Based on the study result, it 

can be assumed that there are large plasmids 

that carry more than one antibiotic-resistant 

gene in MRSA. Additionally, the methicillin-



 

 

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resistant gene may be linked to other 

antibiotic-resistant genes. MRSA bacteria, 

which are Gram-positive bacteria, have a 

peptidoglycan layer that is 20–80 nm thick. 

Gram-positive bacteria also have a cell wall 

containing teichoic acid, which is a water-

soluble polymer that functions as a transport 

for positive ions in and out (11,12,13). 

Other studies conducted on the use of 

plant extracts to inhibit MRSA growth. One 

of the studies showed that the clove flower 

extract has an antimicrobial effect, which 

containing eugenol, flavonoids, tannins, 

saponins, alkaloids and phenols that can 

damage the structure of bacterial cells. The 

results showed that the Minimum 

Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) was 

0.39%. One Way ANOVA test showed a 

significant difference (p < 0.05) between 

clove flower extract concentration and the 

number of MRSA colonies (1). Clove flower 

extract can kill MRSA by damaging the 

structure of bacterial cells. Another study was 

to test the inhibition of the ethanol extract of 

bitter melon (Momordica charantia) against 

the growth of MRSA. The ethanol extract of 

bitter melon fruit used as a test solution with 

a concentration (w/v) of 20%, 40%, 60%, and 

80%. The results showed that the average 

diameter of the inhibition zone of the ethanol 

extract of bitter melon against the growth of 

MRSA with concentrations of 20%, 40%, 

60%, and 80% was 6.16 mm, 9.5 mm, 10.83 

mm, 12.3 mm respectively. The higher the 

ethanol extract concentration of bitter melon 

fruit, the higher the inhibition power of the 

growth of MRSA (14,15,16). 

The plant extracts used also contain 

content that is almost the same as other 

plants, namely eugenol, flavonoids, tannins, 

saponins, alkaloids and phenols, which can 

damage the structure of bacterial cells. 

However, in this study, the ethanol extract of 

dates did not have a significant ability to 

inhibit the growth of MRSA (2). Whereas in 

research, a combination of extracts with 

different plants can inhibit the growth of 

other bacteria. In the research of Utami et 

al. (13), the results of testing the combination 

of Chinese petai extract and Aloe vera 

showed significant differences (p < 0.05) at 

the concentrations of 25 g, 50 g, 75 g, and 100 

g. The ethanol extract of Chinese petai and 

Aloe vera can inhibit the growth of E. coli. 

The results showed the most effective 

concentration of 100 g/mL resulted in an 

interaction between the ethanol extract of 

Aloe vera and china petai in inhibiting the 

growth of E. coli (12,17). In contrast, this 

Ajwa and Sukkari date research, only have 20 

mg/mL as the maximum concentration, 

which still classified as a low concentration. 

As a result, the active compound content is 

the only low level and unable to inhibit the 

growth of MRSA bacteria (4,18,19). 

 

 

 



 

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CONCLUSIONS 

The ethanol extract of Ajwa and Sukkari 

dates with a concentration of 5 mg/mL, 10 

mg/mL, 15 mg/mL, and 20 mg/mL formed 

the same inhibition zone with a diameter of 

≤6 mm. It conclusion, this study indicate that 

the ethanol extract of Ajwa and Sukkari dates 

only has a maximum concentration of 20 

mg/mL, which is still classified as a low 

concentration and has not been able to inhibit 

MRSA bacteria growth by damaging the 

bacterial cell structure. 

 

 

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS 

Putra Rahmadea Utami: 

conceptualization, methodology, writing-

reviewing and editing. Sri Indrayati: data 

curation, writing-original draft preparation, 

supervision. Nur Hayatang: visualization, 

investigation. 

 

ACKNOWLADGEMENTS 

This study was supported by the 

Universitas Perintis Indonesia. 

 

CONFLICT OF INTEREST 

There are no conflicts of interest. 

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