Sydney - Raspberry fruit juice can kill the virulent bacteria that causes gastroenteritis, Australian scientists reported on Thursday.
Experiments with pure raspberry juice and commercial cordials at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, southern New South Wales, have shown the farmers' remedy has scientific validity, Dr Heather Cavanagh said.
Scots-born Cavanagh and Dr Jenny Wilkinson from the school of biomedical sciences found that concentrated raspberry juice kills e-coli, salmonella, mycobacterium and staphylococci among other bugs.
"We've looked at raspberry juice and raspberry cordial with at least 25 percent juice and they both work very well," Cavanagh said.
Cavanagh was surprised to find that many Australian cattle and pig farmers routinely use raspberry cordial to prevent gastric outbreaks in their animals. - Sapa-AFP