Effect of Coconut Milk Squeeze (Cocos nucifera L.) Against the growth of pityrosporum ovale fungus that causes dandruff by agar diffusion method and pour plate

Abstract

Coconut fruit is one of the plants used as traditional medicine by the community empirically, especially its coconut milk which contains saturated fatty acids, namely lauric acid, which is useful as a dandruff remover, nourishes hair and also has antimicrobial activity. This study tested the effect of coconut milk juice (Cocos nucifera L.) on the growth of the fungus Pityrosporum ovale which causes dandruff. The test was carried out using agar diffusion and pour plate methods using Sabouraud Dextrose Agar media. Ketoconazole 2% as a positive control and Aquadest as a negative control. The results of the inhibition zone width test on the administration of coconut milk juice test materials with concentrations of 20% v/v, 40% v/v, 60% v/v, 80% v/v and 100% v/v against Pityrosporum ovale were 4.74 mm, 5.90 mm, 6.26 mm, 6.36 mm, 7.20 mm and a positive control of 9.85 mm. Statistically, the antifungal activity between all treatments (coconut milk juice and positive control) was not significantly different. The results of the test on the number of yeast molds in the provision of coconut milk juice test material with a concentration of 40% v/v, 60% v/v, 80% v/v, 100% v/v and the positive control showed no growth of Pityrosporum ovale but at a concentration of 20% v/v and the negative control, 23 colonies were found and in the negative control above 150 colonies so that the optimal concentration of coconut milk juice in inhibiting the Pityrosporum ovale fungus is a minimum concentration of 40%.