A fungal culture (Penicillium sp., HT-28), isolated from soil has been evaluated for its bioactivity, which showed broad spectrum antimicrobial activity and was effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) also. Statistical optimization of the medium by response surface methodology (RSM) enhanced the antimicrobial activity up to 1.8-fold. Column chromatography was used to isolate the active compound (A), which was characterized to be 6-[1,2-dimethyl-6-(2-methyl-allyloxy)-hexyl]-3-(2-methoxy-phenyl)-chromen-4-one by various spectroscopic techniques such as infrared (IR), H-1 and C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, and mass spectroscopy. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the active compound (A) ranged from 0.5 to 15 mu g/mL. Viable cell count studies of the active compound (A) showed S. aureus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Salmonella typhimurium 1 to be the most sensitive. The compound retained its bioactivity after treating it at 100 A degrees C for 1 h. Furthermore, the compound (A) when tested for its biosafety was found neither to be cytotoxic nor mutagenic. The study demonstrated that an apparently novel compound isolated from Penicillium sp. (HT-28) seems to be a stable and potent antimicrobial.