Monolaurin effective against food bacteria

Another day, another ringing endorsement for one of our long-standing dietary supplement recommendations.

Monolaurin, an extract from coconut oil, can be used as an effective microbial agent in foods, according to a study in the Journal of Food Science.

Monolaurin has been recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is known for its antimicrobial properties.

Researchers from Zhejiang University in China studied the use of monolaurin as a nontraditional preservative in food products by combining it with commonly used antimicrobials in various concentrations and testing it on bacterial strains including Esherichia coli and on food components such as soy protein and water-soluble starch. Researchers made the following findings:

• Monolaurin combined with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)，a binding agent, was effective against Esherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis.
• When combined with the antimicrobial nisin, monolaurin was synergistically effective against both of the aforementioned bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus.

Bonnie - as many of you who take Monolaurin can attest, it is a very safe, effective preventative for not only bacteria, but viruses as well. In supplement form, it is also much more concentrated and powerful than what they would put in food. Unless you are coconut intolerant, it is a no brainer.

As mentioned in yesterday's blog, it is encouraging to see researchers looking for substances made in nature instead of synthetics for reducing food contamination.