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Subject:
From:
Sara Bernard <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 6 Jul 2002 22:44:25 +0200
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text/plain
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Dear Lacnetters,

I've been following the discussions about the use of grapefruitseed extract
with interest. Being someone who always has to go a step further, I decided
to try and findout what it was about this extract that made it
anti-microbial. I did a medline search and came up with the following
abstract:

Pharmazie 1999 Jun;54(6):452-6 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut
Aspects of the antimicrobial efficacy of grapefruit seed extract and its
relation to preservative substances contained.
von Woedtke T, Schluter B, Pflegel P, Lindequist U, Julich WD.
Institute of Pharmacy, Ernst Moritz Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany.
The antimicrobial efficacy as well as the content of preservative agents of
six commercially available grapefruit seed extracts were examined. Five of
the six extracts showed a high growth inhibiting activity against the test
germs Bacillus subtilis SBUG 14, Micrococcus flavus SBUG 16, Staphylococcus
aureus SBUG 11, Serratia marcescens SBUG 9, Escherichia coli SBUG 17,
Proteus mirabilis SBUG 47, and Candida maltosa SBUG 700. In all of the
antimicrobial active grapefruit seed extracts, the preservative benzethonium
chloride was detected by thin layer chromatography. Additionally, three
extracts contained the preserving substances triclosan and methyl parabene.
In only one of the grapefruit seed extracts tested no preservative agent was
found. However, with this extract as well as with several self-made extracts
from seed and juiceless pulp of grapefruits (Citrus paradisi) no
antimicrobial activity could be detected (standard serial broth dilution
assay, agar diffusion test). Thus, it is concluded that the potent as well
as nearly universal antimicrobial activity being attributed to grapefruit
seed extract is merely due to the synthetic preservative agents contained
within. Natural products with antimicrobial activity do not appear to be
present.


Just wondering what the the advocates of grapefruitseed extract think about
this?

Sara Bernard
The Netherlands
(staying nutral on this count for now!)

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