FORMULATION AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF PURPLE CABBAGE (BRASSICA OLERACEA) EXTRACT SPRAY AGAINST CANDIDA ALBICANS AS THE CAUSE OF ORAL CANDIDIASIS

Ananda Syafira, Rina Hidayati Pratiwi*, Shafa Noer

Purple cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is a plant known to have many health benefits, especially due to its abundant nutritional content, such as anthocyanins. One potential that is being developed is as a natural antifungal agent. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of a purple cabbage extract spray formulation in inhibiting the growth of Candida albicans, one of the fungi that causes oral candidiasis. The study was conducted experimentally using the disc diffusion method. Purple cabbage extract was obtained through a maceration process with 70% ethanol solvent. Antifungal activity tests were carried out using four different treatments, namely: 100% purple cabbage extract, 50% purple cabbage extract, 100% purple cabbage extract spray, and 50% purple cabbage extract spray. The test results showed an average inhibition zone of 1.43 mm with a weak category, 1.32 mm with a weak category, 5.33 mm with a moderate category, and 6.83 mm with a moderate category. This suggests that a spray formulation with a lower concentration is actually more effective, likely due to the more even distribution of the active compound across the surface of the medium. This research supports the potential use of natural ingredients, particularly purple cabbage, as an environmentally friendly and easily applied antifungal alternative in spray form.