Reported December 2005

BACKGROUND: Wine is a natural antimicrobial, and scientists at Oregon State University are developing a new disinfectant containing wine to fight off microbes like bacteria. Dry white wines, such as sauvignon blancs or chardonnays, work best because they don't leave a stain or sticky residue.

ABOUT ANTIMICROBIALS: "Antimicrobials" is a word that describes both natural and man-made substances, including antibiotics and disinfectants, which can kill or slow down the growth of bacteria and viruses and other microorganisms. Sometimes microorganisms can develop a resistance over time to an antimicrobial substance, however, so that it no longer stops microbes from growing. Naturally occurring alternatives could help address this problem.

WHY IT WORKS: We've all heard advice from seasoned travelers that it's often better to drink the wine than the water in a foreign country. There is some truth to the adage. Wine drinkers, for example, rarely suffer from food poisoning, such as salmonella (the leading cause of food poisoning). The wine's natural acids combine with its alcohol content to kill bacteria. The OSU scientists discovered it also kills bacteria on a kitchen counter, for example. As an added benefit, using wine as an anti-microbial, or as a natural food preservative, cuts down on the amount of chemicals in the environment, and on the long and costly development process for chemically based food preservatives.

ABOUT WINE-MAKING: Making wine a very simple process, since wine is little more than fermented grape juice. It involves using yeast to convert the sugar in fruit -- usually some variety of grape -- into carbon dioxide and alcohol. The CO2 evaporates into the air, leaving behind wine. Still, winemakers must work hard to provide perfect conditions for nature to take its course. Despite their best efforts, each year there are large amounts of waste and surplus wine produced that don't meet industry standards for quality and flavor, and thus never make it into a bottle. And the wine can't be poured down the drain, thanks to stricter environmental regulations. Winemakers are therefore very interested in this potential new market for their unusual wine.

The American Society for Microbiology contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

If you would like more information, please contact:

American Society for Microbiology
1752 N Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-2904
(202) 737-3600
http://www.asm.org

FACTOID...

Nearly 76 million illnesses and 5000 deaths are due to food-borne diseases every year.