title: Effect of high pressure pasteurization on bacterial load and bioactivity of Echinacea purpurea.
abstract: High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) technology was applied to organic Echinacea purpurea (E. purpurea) roots and flowers to determine the feasibility of using this technology for cold herb pasteurization, to produce microbiologically safe and shelf-stable products for the natural health products (NHPs) industry. HHP significantly (P < 0.01) reduced microbial contamination in both roots and flowers without affecting the phytochemical retention of chicoric and chlorogenic acids, and total alkamide contents. The antioxidant activity of E. purpurea methanol-derived extracts, evaluated in both chemical (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) [ABTS] and oxygen radical absorption capacity [ORAC] assay) and in cell culture models (RAW264, 7 macrophage, H(2)O(2)-induced intracellular oxidation, and lipopolysaccharide [LPS]-induced nitric oxide production), was not adversely affected by the application of HHP at both 2 and 5 min at 600 mPa. Furthermore, HHP did not affect the capacity of E. purpurea extracts to suppress nitric oxide production in LPS-activated macrophage cells. Therefore, our results show that HHP is an effective pasteurization process treatment to reduce microbial-contamination load while not adversely altering chemical and bioactive function of active constituents present in organic E. purpurea.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study reports for the first time, the effectiveness of using high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) technology pressure to pasteurize E. purpurea root and flower, and the comparative retention of bioactive phytochemicals. Therefore, this technique can be used in food and natural health product industries to produce high-quality, microbiologically safe, and shelf-stable products.
authors.affiliation: Food, Nutrition and Health, Univ. of British Columbia, 2205 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4.
authors.forename: Xiu-Min
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Errol
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Raghubeer
authors.forename: David D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Kitts
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D058491:Bacterial Load; D002109:Caffeic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002726:Chlorogenic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000032:analysis* / Q000382:microbiology; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods*; D020900:Echinacea / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D006874:Hydrostatic Pressure; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D013386:Succinates / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D000975:Antioxidants; D002109:Caffeic Acids; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013386:Succinates; D002726:Chlorogenic Acid; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C100435:chicoric acid