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The present work has been conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of Terminalia chebula against microorganisms associated with juices. Methanol, ethanol, acetone, and aqueous (hot and cold) extracts from fruits of T. chebula were tested for their antimicrobial activity through agar well diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)/minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were determined through the macrodilution broth method against Bacillus cereus, Serratia sp. and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. Their total phenolic content and total tannin content were also evaluated. Organic and cold aqueous extracts displayed activity against all three tested microbes. There were highly positive relationship between antimicrobial activities and phenolic and tannin content of the tested extracts against each microorganism. Methanolic extract was found to be best against all tested microbes with lowest MIC of 0.78 mg/ml and MBC of 1.56 mg/ml and showed better antimicrobial activity than sodium benzoate. Therefore, methanolic extract of T. chebula has a biopreservative potential in fruit juices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruit juices are important commodities in the global market providing vast possibilities for new value added products to meet consumer demand for convenience, nutrition, and health. Fruit juices are spoiled primarily due to proliferation of acid tolerant and osmophilic microflora. There is also risk of food borne microbial infections which is associated with the consumption of fruit juices. In order to reduce the incidence of outbreaks, fruit juices are preserved by various techniques. Thermal pasteurization is used commercially by fruit juice industries for the preservation of fruit juices but results in losses of essential nutrients and changes in physicochemical and organoleptic properties. Nonthermal pasteurization methods such as high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric field, and ultrasound and irradiations have also been employed in fruit juices to overcome the negative effects of thermal pasteurization. Some of these techniques have already been commercialized. Some are still in research or pilot scale. Apart from these emerging techniques, preservatives from natural sources have also shown considerable promise for use in some food products. In this review article, spoilage, pathogenic microflora, and food borne outbreaks associated with fruit juices of last two decades are given in one section. In other sections various prevention methods to control the growth of spoilage and pathogenic microflora to increase the shelf life of fruit juices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]