Abstract
The functional properties of aqueous extracts of four fruits commonly consumed in New Zealand, namely blueberry, strawberry, green kiwifruit and feijoa, towards the growth of probiotic and pathogenic bacteria were investigated in this study. A concentration range of 0.1-30.0 g/l was evaluated in a high-throughput assay to determine their effects. In general, the four fruit extracts exerted growth-stimulating effects on the probiotic bacteria, except with Bifidobacterium longum, whereas they were found to inhibit all pathogens tested. Feijoa extract inhibited Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus even at the lowest concentrations tested. Selected combinations of extracts (blueberry/feijoa and strawberry/kiwifruit) exerted effects that were less than additive compared to the individual extracts. These results are relevant for potential application of fruit extracts not only as functional ingredients in food but also for controlling growth of pathogens and for propagation of probiotic bacteria during food production and storage.
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