Fit Ottawa

I’ve always had some idea that people in hot climates eat spicy food because it helps prevent spoilage. Not sure where I got this idea, but there you have it. Research topic!

It turns out that various spices do in fact have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, but the level of protection is NOT related to the HEAT of the spice. I guess this should be no surprise given the story of the university professor who shook cayenne pepper into one of his eyes at the start of a lecture to drive home his point that capsaicin causes pain but no cellular damage. At the end of the lecture, he asked students to come up and check out his eyes. The peppered eye was brighter and healthier looking than the other one, no doubt from having been cleansed by torrents of tears!

Two researchers at Cornell, Jennifer Billing and Paul Sherman, tested 43 spices and seasonings by preparing authentic meat-based recipes from 36 countries and then analyzing the foods spoilage characteristics. They found that 30 of the 43 seasonings exhibited antimicrobial properties. The most effective seasonings inhibited 100% of the bacterial species being tested. These were:

Garlic, Onion, Allspice, and Oregano.

Next on the list were several spices inhibiting more than 75% of the microbial species:

Thyme, Cinnamon, Tarragon, Cumin, Cloves, Lemon grass, Bay leaf, Capsicums (hot peppers), and Rosemary.

After analyzing 4578 recipes, they found that ALL meat recipes in tropical climates contained at least one spice, whereas one-third of those in northern climates did not. Some spices had enhanced antimicrobial properties when combined with other spices, leading to conjecture about the preservative origins of spice mixtures: curry powder, chili powder, garam masala, etc.

A food science professor at Kansas State University in Manhattan found that adding a teaspoon of powdered cinnamon to 1 litre of apple juice killed off a bunch of bacteria that could cause food poisoning, including E. coli. Salmonella bacteria were unfortunately more resistant.

Thyme appears to be one of the real health champions of the herb and spice world. The volatile oil within thyme, called Thymol, has been shown to protect cell membranes and promote the presence of healthy fats in rats during studies on aging. The benefits are greatest when thyme is introduced at a young age. Thymol also has anti-fungal properties, and it was used to preserve ancient manuscripts and paintings after floods in Florence, Italy.

Washing produce contaminated with Shigella (an organism that causes intestinal damage and diarrhea) in water containing a 1% concentration of thyme or basil essential oil, reduced the bacteria to undectable levels. This indicates that adding herbs to your salad dressings might have benefits beyond simply improving the flavor!

Many internet sources tout the antibacterial characteristics of wasabi, the famous green Japanese horseradish. It seems the pairing of wasabi with sashimi and sushi was, at least in part, to reduce the risk of food poisoning. A component of wasabi and horseradish, AIT (also called mustard oil), inhibits the growth of mold in cheese, bread, meat, and produce. AIT is currently used in Japan to help preserve kimchi.

Unfortunately, virtually all the wasabi we see in the western world is fake. It is an artificially colored and flavored mixture derived from common horseradish. The good news is that horseradish seems to have the same protective effects as wasabi!

So the bottom line is… go ahead and increase your use of herbs and spices in cooking. It WILL make your food taste better and it might just prevent you from getting sick.

There is some hope that food manufacturers might be able to use spices in place of the artificial preservatives prevalent in packaged foods today. The food would be tastier and healthier — Bingo!

References:
[1] http://healthgate.partners.org/browsing/browseContent.asp?fileName=13908.xml&title=Some%20Like%20it%20Hot
[2] http://a-s.clayton.edu/hampikian/Research/Spice/WebMDAddaLittleSpicetoYourLife.html
[3] http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=77
[4] http://pira.atalink.co.uk/articles/packaging/54
[5] Billing J, Sherman PW. Antimicrobial Functions of Spices: Why Some Like It Hot. The Quarterly Review of Biology. 1998; 73(1):3-49

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 5th, 2006 at 5:58 pm and is filed under Food, Nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.