Microbiologists and food-product developers have conducted laboratory experiments that involve challenging numerous foodborne bacteria, fungi, and yeasts with phytochemicals extracted from spice plants. Multiple techniques have been used to investigate inhibition, and the primary data vary considerably in quality and quantity for different spices. Nevertheless, it is now clear that many spices have potent antimicrobial properties
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All 30 spices for which we located laboratory test results were found at some concentration to kill or inhibit at least 25% of the bacterial species on which they had been tested, and 15 of these spices inhibited at least 75% of bacterial species (Figure 4). Garlic, onion, allspice, and oregano were found to be the most potent spices: They inhibited or killed every bacterium they were tested on.
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For example, India’s cuisine included 25 different spices, of which an average of 9.3 were called for per recipe, whereas Norwegian cuisine included only 10 different spices and called for an average of 1.6 per recipe. In Hungary, which has a temperate climate, the cuisine included 21 spices, of which an average of 3.0 were called for per recipe.
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“As annual temperatures increased, the estimated fraction of food spoilage bacteria inhibited by the spices in each country’s recipes increased significantly. Therefore, the cuisine of hotter countries potentially has greater antibacterial activity.
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Darwinian Gastronomy: Why We Use Spices: Spices taste good because they are good for us | BioScience | Oxford Academic
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