Cinnamon Fights E.Coli in Apple Juice
August 8, 1999 - 0:0
CHICAGO Adding cinnamon to unpasteurized apple juice may kill E.coli 0157:H7, the bacteria which causes a food-borne illness that affects an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 Americans each year, researchers said on Thursday. Microbiologists at Kansas State University inoculated apple juice samples with about one million E.coli bacteria -- roughly 100 times the number typically found in contaminated food -- and found that one teaspoon of cinnamon killed 99.5 percent of the bacteria in three days at room temperature.
When the same amount of cinnamon was combined with either 0.1 percent sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate, which are preservatives approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, E.coli was reduced to an undetectable level. "Cinnamon contains a compound that has the ability to kill bacteria," Daniel Y.C. Fung, professor of food science at Kansas State, said in a telephone interview.
"It has natural killing power," said Fung, who oversaw the research on spices. "We are not promoting that you should not heat your food properly, but this extra help from the kitchen can spice up your health." The research was presented in Chicago last week at an annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists, a nonprofit group composed of scientists and food industry professionals.
Most people recover completely from E.coli exposure within a week, but some develop a form of kidney failure, and an estimated 50 to 100 Americans die from the illness each year. Apple juice tainted with E.coli, which causes bloody diarrhea and can be deadly, was linked to a 1996 outbreak which killed a 16-month-old Denver girl and sickened 66 others. "This research indicates that the use of cinnamon alone and in combination with preservatives in apple juice, besides its flavoring effect, might reduce and control the number of E.coli 0157:H7," lead researcher Erdogan Ceylan said in a statement.
"Cinnamon may help protect consumers against food-borne bacteria that may be in unpasteurized juices," he said. The FDA in April estimated that there are between 16,000 and 48,000 cases of juice-related illnesses each year in the United States. The agency proposed new rules earlier this year that would require processors to take steps to make sure juice that has not been pasteurized is as safe as pasteurized juice, which is heated to a temperature that kills the bacteria.
The FDA said about 98 percent of U.S. fruit juices are pasteurized, but the rest -- typically made by smaller companies or orchards -- is not. "If cinnamon can knock out E.coli 0157:H7, one of the most virulent food-borne microorganisms that exists today, it will certainly have antimicrobial effects on other common food-borne bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter," Fung said.
Last year, the same researchers added various spices to raw ground beef and sausage. They found that cinnamon, clove and garlic were the most powerful in killing E.coli. (Reuter)
When the same amount of cinnamon was combined with either 0.1 percent sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate, which are preservatives approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, E.coli was reduced to an undetectable level. "Cinnamon contains a compound that has the ability to kill bacteria," Daniel Y.C. Fung, professor of food science at Kansas State, said in a telephone interview.
"It has natural killing power," said Fung, who oversaw the research on spices. "We are not promoting that you should not heat your food properly, but this extra help from the kitchen can spice up your health." The research was presented in Chicago last week at an annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists, a nonprofit group composed of scientists and food industry professionals.
Most people recover completely from E.coli exposure within a week, but some develop a form of kidney failure, and an estimated 50 to 100 Americans die from the illness each year. Apple juice tainted with E.coli, which causes bloody diarrhea and can be deadly, was linked to a 1996 outbreak which killed a 16-month-old Denver girl and sickened 66 others. "This research indicates that the use of cinnamon alone and in combination with preservatives in apple juice, besides its flavoring effect, might reduce and control the number of E.coli 0157:H7," lead researcher Erdogan Ceylan said in a statement.
"Cinnamon may help protect consumers against food-borne bacteria that may be in unpasteurized juices," he said. The FDA in April estimated that there are between 16,000 and 48,000 cases of juice-related illnesses each year in the United States. The agency proposed new rules earlier this year that would require processors to take steps to make sure juice that has not been pasteurized is as safe as pasteurized juice, which is heated to a temperature that kills the bacteria.
The FDA said about 98 percent of U.S. fruit juices are pasteurized, but the rest -- typically made by smaller companies or orchards -- is not. "If cinnamon can knock out E.coli 0157:H7, one of the most virulent food-borne microorganisms that exists today, it will certainly have antimicrobial effects on other common food-borne bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter," Fung said.
Last year, the same researchers added various spices to raw ground beef and sausage. They found that cinnamon, clove and garlic were the most powerful in killing E.coli. (Reuter)