皇冠体育app

Lifestyle
/ / News

Garlic helps kill contaminants in baby formula

English.news.cn | Updated: 2013-12-05 11:00

Garlic helps kill contaminants in baby formula

Garlic [Photo/icpress]

Garlic can significantly reduce the contamination risk of Cronobacter sakazakii, a foodborne pathogen that can lead to fatal infections of infants, in the production of dry infant formula powder, according to a new Canadian study.

The study, published recently in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, identifies for the first time that two compounds derived from garlic -- diallyl sulfide and ajoene -- can make the product safer to consume.

According to the researchers, C. sakazakii infection is rare, but often fatal for infants. It can poison a baby's bloodstream and lead to life-threatening cases of meningitis. Outbreaks of C. sakazakii have occurred worldwide.

"A trace dose of these two compounds is extremely effective in killing C. sakazakii in the food manufacturing process," said Xiaonan Lu, corresponding author and assistant professor of food safety engineering in the University of British Columbia. "They have the potential to eliminate the pathogen before it ever reaches the consumer."

The garlic compounds could be used to prevent C. sakazakii contamination on food contact surfaces and in every step of food production -- from processing, packaging and delivery, said Lu.

"Pipes used in the manufacturing of milk products are typically cleaned with chemicals like chlorine, but these garlic compounds are a natural alternative," said Lu. "We believe these compounds are more beneficial in protecting babies against this pathogen."

Editor's picks
Video
11 studies show pets are good for health
British menswear reinvents itself with Beckham in the lead
UK menswear taps 皇冠体育app's market
Special
Yearender: Major events in showbiz in 2014
Food along the Silk Road
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to 皇冠体育app Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US