The team from AIT tested the antibacterial action of coconut oil in its natural state and coconut oil that had been treated with enzymes, in a process similar to digestion. The oils were tested against strains of Streptococcus bacteria, which are common inhabitants of the mouth.
They found that enzyme-modified coconut oil strongly inhibited the growth of most strains of Streptococcus bacteria, including Streptococcus mutans, an acid-producing bacterium that’s a major cause of tooth decay.
Many previous studies have shown that partially digested foodstuffs are active against microorganisms. Earlier work on enzyme-modified milk showed that it was able to reduce the binding of S.mutans to tooth enamel, which prompted the group to investigate the effect of other enzyme-modified foods on bacteria.
Further work will examine how coconut oil interacts with Streptococcus bacteria at the molecular level and which other strains of harmful bacteria and yeasts it’s active against.
Additional testing by the group at AIT found that enzyme-modified coconut oil was also harmful to the yeast Candida albicans, which can cause thrush.
The researchers suggest that enzyme-modified coconut oil has potential as a marketable antimicrobial, which could be of particular interest to the oral healthcare industry.
Dr Brady said: “Dental caries is a commonly overlooked health problem affecting 60-90% of children and the majority of adults in industrialised countries. Incorporating enzyme-modified coconut oil into dental hygiene products would be an attractive alternative to chemical additives, particularly as it works at relatively low concentrations. Also, with increasing antibiotic resistance, it’s important that we turn our attention to new ways to combat microbial infection.
“Our research has shown that digested milk protein not only reduced the adherence of harmful bacteria to human intestinal cells, but also prevented some of them from gaining entrance into the cell. We are currently researching coconut oil and other enzyme-modified foodstuffs to identify how they interfere with the way bacteria cause illness and disease,” he said.
Source: AIT
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