Mango Seeds May Protect Against Deadly Food Bacteria

New research has yielded a way to turn the throwaway kernels in mangoes into a natural food preservative that could help prevent Listeriosis outbreaks. (Credit: iStockphoto/Robert Lerich)
A very welcome and simple use for mango seeds has been found. From this source:

[A Canadian researcher]Christina Engels has found a way to turn the throwaway kernels in mangoes into a natural food preservative that could help prevent Listeriosis outbreaks like the one that killed 21 Canadians last year.

One of the constituents of mango seeds [or pits, as they are sometimes called] is the chemical tannin. Tannin has many uses, as anyone who makes preserves knows. It is useful to destroy certain bacteria, including Listeria, which is a deadly bacteria that recently caused a number of reported deaths in Canada. Who knows how many deaths it has caused in India.

The researcher who did this study claims commercial manufacturers can produce the antibacterial agent from large quantities of mango pits. Whether this also can be done by typical, average mango eaters in small quantities has yet to be determined. If such a process can be created and becomes popular it will be very welcome in India.