Natural Antimicrobial Ability of Sumac Identified

JIANGSU, ChinaOrdinarily, the Chinese sumac (Rhus typhina L) is grown in forests and ornamental gardens. However, it could be grown as a crop, because researchers at Jiangnan University have identified it as a possible source of a potent antimicrobial that could be used in foods.

Chinese sumac is indigenous to eastern North America, where it is known as the staghorn sumac, but is now extensively cultivated in China. The sumac produces small, dry, sometimes highly colored fruits that usually grow in dense clusters. Historically, this fruit has been used in a tart beverage called Indian lemonade or sumac-ade. Chinese sumac also is used in traditional medicine as a blood purifier and diuretic, and to treat gastrointestinal disorders.

The Chinese researchers assayed the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the fruit extract of R. typhina growing in China. The antimicrobial activity of this fruit extract was tested against twelve strains of microbes, which included Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and yeasts. They found that the extract exhibited a strong antimicrobial activity dependent on concentration, and a broad antimicrobial spectrum for all tested bacteria species, but particularly the gram-positive bacteria Bacillus cereus, and the gram-negative bacteria Helicobacter pylori. The extract had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.10% on these bacteria, but the MIC for yeasts 0.60% to 0.75%.

The antioxidant activity of the extract was tested, including scavenging activity of 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals (0.016 mg/ml as IC50 value) and reducing power (IC50 value of 0.041 mg/ml). The researchers concluded that the findings suggest the possibility of using sumac fruit as a novel source of natural antimicrobials and antioxidants for the food and pharmaceutical industries.