The findings could lead to expanded use of dodecenal as a tasteless food additive to prevent foodborne illness, perhaps as a protective coating for meats in processing plants, or even as a general purpose disinfectant to be used in cleaning and hand washing, Kubo says.
But don't rely on salsa alone to safeguard your food: There's only a small amount of the potent antibacterial in a typical serving. "If you were eating a hot dog or hamburger," explains Kubo, "you would probably have to eat an equivalent weight of cilantro to have an optimal effect against food poisoning."
The researchers say that their lab does not plan to market dodecenal as a bacteria fighter or test it further to see if it works in humans. But they acknowledge that their findings are attractive for industry and others wanting to develop better ways to combat foodborne illness.
Dodecenal also shows promise in side-stepping the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. The researchers believe the compound works by destroying the cell membrane of bacteria, similar to the way soap kills bacteria. As the compound does not appear to interfere with any of the protein-manufacturing machinery of the cell, as occurs with many commercial antibiotics, bacteria are less likely to develop resistance to it, Kubo says.
Whether you choose to eat salsa with your tacos, chips or chicken, keep in mind that there's no substitute for proper storage, handling and cooking of any food in order to prevent foodborne illness, according to health experts.
The University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS) provided funding for this study.
Kubo's associates in this study were Ken-ichi Fujita, Aya Kubo and Ken-ichi Nihei, of UC Berkeley, and Tetsuya Ogura, of Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, Mexico.
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Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society
24-May-2004