Adding Green Tea Extract to Prepared Foods May Reduce Norovirus Risk

The results of a new study from Ohio State University suggest that infusing prepared foods with an edible coating that contains green tea extract may lower consumers’ chances of catching the highly contagious norovirus when eating contaminated food.¹

The study added green tea extract to a film-forming substance, which created a safe-to-eat barrier that killed norovirus, as well as 2 other types of bacteria.

Although most antimicrobial packaging advances to date have emphasized fighting bacteria, the finding holds promise for a newer area of research into the concept of using edible film to kill a virus, according to the study’s authors.

To further test the effects of the green tea extract, the investigators dissolved it alone in water and added it to a chitosan-based liquid solution and dried film. Several different concentrations of the extract showed effectiveness against norovirus cells, with the highest level tested in this study killing them all in one day.

In addition to norovirus, the investigators found that green tea extract lowered Escherichia coli (strain K12) and listeria innocua to undetectable levels within 24 hours.

REFERENCE

• Caldwell E. How adding green tea extract to prepared foods may reduce the risk of norovirus. The Ohio State News. July 21, 2020. Accessed August 11, 2020. https://news.osu.edu/how-adding-green-tea-extract-toprepared-foods-may-reduce-the-risk-for-norovirus/