Abstract
Phenolic compounds present in berries selectively inhibit the growth
of human gastrointestinal pathogens. Especially cranberry, cloudberry,
raspberry, strawberry and bilberry possess clear antimicrobial effects against
e.g. salmonella and staphylococcus. Complex phenolic polymers, such as
ellagitannins, are strong antibacterial agents present in cloudberry, raspberry
and strawberry. Berry phenolics seem to affect the growth of different
bacterial species with different mechanisms. Adherence of bacteria to
epithelial surfaces is a prerequisite for colonization and infection of many
pathogens. Antimicrobial activity of berries may also be related to
antiadherence activity of the berries. Utilization of enzymes in berry
processing increases the amount of phenolics and antimicrobial activity of the
berry products. Antimicrobial berry compounds are likely to have many important
applications in the future as natural antimicrobial agents for food industry as
well as for medicine.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 243 - 251 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | BioFactors |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 2005 |
| MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |