Green tea deters food poisoning

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Green tea deters food poisoning

     It has long been known from experience that green tea has the ability to kill bacteria. Consumption of strong green tea, for example, is often recommended as a good treatment for diarrhea.

     Dr. Hara 13) has shown in his research that catechin is a powerful sterilizing agent for many types of bacteria that cause food poisoning (Table 5). He checked the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC, ppm) of green tea catechin necessary to stop the growth of various types of food poisoning bacteria and found that (a) StaphyIococcus aureus, (b) Vibrio parahaemolyticus, (c) Clostridium perfringens, (d) Bacillus cereus, (e) Plesiomonas shigelloides, (f) Aeromonas sobria and (g) Clostridium botulinum cannot grow in the 1/10 - 1/2 of 0.1% of catechin in the green tea normally drunk by the Japanese people. But even fairly high concentrations of catechin had no negative effect on the bifidus bacillus, which is necessary for proper functioning of the intestinal tract. In addition to this evidence, Prof. Shimamura 14) has reported that green tea is a very strong sterilant of cholera vibrio and has a strong antitoxic effect on toxins produced by bacteria other than cholera.

     These results indicate the antibacterial function of green tea catechin and suggest that it may be effective in preventing food poisoning. Every year throughout the world there are countless incidents of food poisoning.

     Wouldn't it been a good idea, given these facts, to enjoy one's meals with several cups of green tea?

Table 5
Minimum inhibitory concentration (ppm) of tea catechins against some heat-resistant, spore-forming bacteria

Tea catechins C. botulinum B. subtilis B. stearothermophilus D. nigrificans

Spore Vegetative
cells Spore Vegetative
cells Spore Vegetative
cells Spore Vegetative
cells

Crude Catechin
EGC
EC
EGCg
ECg
Crude theaflavins    300
>1000
>1000
   200
   200
   200 <100
300
>1000
<100
200
200 >1000
>1000
>1000
1000
   900
   600 >800
>800
>800
>800
>800
700 300
1000
>1000
200
300
300 200
300
800
200
<100
200 <100
500
500
200
<100
<100 >1000
>1000
>1000
>1000
>1000
>1000

EGC : (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, EC: (-)-epicat-chin,

EGCg : (-) -epigallocatechin gallate, ECg : (-) -epicatechin gallate

　

13) Y. Hara and T. Ishigami, Nippon Shokuhin Kogyo Gakkaishi, 36, 996 (1989) .

14) T. Shimamura et al., Jpn. Bacteriol., 44,669 (1989).

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Green tea deters food poisoning

Table 5 Minimum inhibitory concentration (ppm) of tea catechins against some heat-resistant, spore-forming bacteria

Table 5
Minimum inhibitory concentration (ppm) of tea catechins against some heat-resistant, spore-forming bacteria