Researchers have found that the antimicrobial properties of tomato juice can eliminate salmonella.

Tomato juice can kill Salmonella Tifi and other bacteria that can harm the health of the digestive and urinary tract, according to a study published this week in the journal Microbiological spectrumJournal of the American Society for Microbiology. Salmonella Tifi is a deadly human-specific pathogen that causes typhoid fever.

Our main goal in this study was to find out whether tomatoes and tomato juice can kill intestinal pathogens, including Salmonella Typhi, and if so, what qualities they have that make them work.said the study’s principal investigator, Dr. Jongmin Song, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at Cornell University.

First, researchers tested in laboratory experiments whether tomato juice actually kills Salmonella Tifi. Once they confirmed this, the team examined the tomato genome to find the antimicrobial peptides involved.

Antimicrobial peptides are very small proteins that disrupt the bacterial membrane that maintains their integrity. The researchers selected 4 possible antimicrobial peptides and tested their effectiveness against Salmonella Tifi. This helped them find two antimicrobial peptides effective against Salmonella Tifi.

The research team conducted further tests with variants Salmonella Tifi which appear in places where the disease often occurs. They also conducted a computer study to learn more about how antibacterial peptides kill bacteria. Salmonella Tifi and other intestinal pathogens. Finally, they analyzed the effectiveness of tomato juice against other intestinal pathogens that can harm the health of the digestive and urinary tract.

The most significant discovery is that tomato juice is effective in eliminating Salmonella Tifi, its hypervirulent variants and other bacteria that can harm the health of the human digestive and urinary tract. Two antimicrobial peptides in particular can destroy these pathogens by disrupting the bacterial membrane, the protective layer surrounding the pathogen.

Our research shows that tomatoes and tomato juice can kill gut bacteria such as salmonella.– says Song. The researchers said they hope that when the general public, especially children and teenagers, learn about the study’s findings, they will want to eat and drink more tomatoes, as well as other fruits and vegetables, as they provide consumers with natural antibacterial benefits.

Sources

American Society for Microbiology | Ryan S. Kwon, Gi Young Lee, et al.., Antimicrobial properties of tomato juice and peptides against typhoid salmonella.. Microbiological Spectrum, doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03102-23.