Hallo Nourishers,
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years!
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Whilst researching preservatives, I came across a rather interesting article online, regarding the efficiacy of Grapefruit Seed Extract. It interested me because I have been having trouble getting it to emulsify into the creams. I also had to remove one of my creams from Happy High Herbs as mould was appearing after 2 weeks of making it. (lacto-fermentation not completed properly and GSE was only preservative) It worried me, but the other creams were doing fine, and so I figured it was a lone nut cream. I scraped the mould off and have been using it personally and the mould has not returned. (two months later). More recently a batch of anti-ageing cream came out a little oily, so I put it into a closed airtight container to deal with later. With the warm weather, I discovered it was continuing to lacto-ferment a couple of days later when I checked it again. Bells were starting to ring quite loudly now… What the hell was going on??
Anyway here is the article I found:
Institute of Pharmacy, Ernst Moritz Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany.
The antimicrobial efficacy as well as the content of preservative agents of six commercially available grapefruit seed extracts were examined. Five of the six extracts showed a high growth inhibiting activity against the test germs Bacillus subtilis SBUG 14, Micrococcus flavus SBUG 16, Staphylococcus aureus SBUG 11, Serratia marcescens SBUG 9, Escherichia coli SBUG 17, Proteus mirabilis SBUG 47, and Candida maltosa SBUG 700. In all of the antimicrobial active grapefruit seed extracts, the preservative benzethonium chloride was detected by thin layer chromatography. Additionally, three extracts contained the preserving substances triclosan and methyl parabene. In only one of the grapefruit seed extracts tested no preservative agent was found. However, with this extract as well as with several self-made extracts from seed and juiceless pulp of grapefruits (Citrus paradisi) no antimicrobial activity could be detected (standard serial broth dilution assay, agar diffusion test). Thus, it is concluded that the potent as well as nearly universal antimicrobial activity being attributed to grapefruit seed extract is merely due to the synthetic preservative agents contained within. Natural products with antimicrobial activity do not appear to be present.
http://www.momsjournal.org/20071205/grapefruit-seed-extract/
After reading this, and several other articles which came to the same conclusions, I double checked with my wholesaler who supplies me with Grapefruit Seed Extract, and the description was specific about it being completely without synthetic substances and certified organic. I was quite relieved, yet angered that I am paying quite a bit for a preservative which is extremely limited to the point of being useless without another synthetic preservative solution.
To my mind, and personal experience, it is a good antioxidant, but not a preservative. If it had preserving qualities, my creams would not continue to lacto-ferment after adding it. I will use the rest of what I have in stock but once its run out, no more!
I have been looking up ‘food grade’ preservatives over the last week, as I want to keep my creams as user friendly and natural as possible. I realise that a synthetic alternative is the only option available right now. I have been looking at a product which combines benzoic acid with potassium sorbate in benzol alcohol. The percentage/volume is something close to 0.3% - 0.5% If anyone knows of a better alternative, I would like to hear from them!
I have also discovered the wonders of ionized ‘acid’ water. It is anti-microbial and anti-bacterial in itself, and I have been using this instead of my distilled water, and will be lacto-fermenting my next batch of goji and cacao syrup with this. It has a perfect PH for the skin, being slightly more on the acid side of the scale. It has also been used in hospitals in Japan for bathing infections and wounds with nothing else added. Apparently they are getting very good results. Its also cheap and easy for me to get to, as my local health store has an ionizer and sells by the litre. Wooohoo! (around $1000 to buy filter) I am also using this water for my base creams which I sell by the litre to Health Pracitioners in the area.
Well that’s it for now. Been very busy busy busy, but should have cleansing conditioner bars out on ebay soon! I still have some samples and trial bars to give away with ebay purchases. If you would like one with your order, please write a note and let me know at checkout.
Blessings and Fun!
Karen.xoxo
Jan 19th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Thanks so much for the link back. ;-) I don’t make any cosmetics so I can’t help with the preservative problem other than to suggest oils that don’t go rancid so quickly. I don’t know. Natural cleaning products is more my thing than cosmetics and vinegar doesn’t spoil. ;-)
Jan 21st, 2009 at 6:00 am
Thanks Erica! I use good quality unrefined saturated fats, so oil rancidity not a problem. Ionised acid water will also help on the other end of the formula. I wouldn’t use a preservative at all if I could, and make people put them in the fridge! However not so user friendly. :-)
Jan 22nd, 2009 at 4:06 pm
I had a microbiology class last semester. My teacher let me test colloidal silver and GSE (I used 33% in glycerine by Nutribiotic). I did a standard disc diffusion test on Mueller-Hinton Agar using six discs. I compared the effects of the silver the gse and 4 drugs against 6 different bacteria. The silver barely inhibited the growth of any of the bacteria and showed extensive recolonization in the cleared area. The GSE performed better than almost all of the drugs with little recolonization. Maybe the GSE was contaminated with preservatives. It was certainly effective.
Mar 24th, 2009 at 2:03 am
grapefruit seed extract alone cannot work. You need 2% of the same will it be active and then the antimicrobial action is not interesting anymore. You should study very well the cientific literature available. Till now people did not find any natural product active as antimicrobial agent. Everyboddy is looking for this. The name grapefruit seed extract is a commercial name know. It is made from grapefruit peels, but you can produce the same from orange rinds, lemon rinds, maiz residues, etc. since it is a chemcial product (never natural). This synthetic
product is thus not natural. As said pls read all cientific literature about grapefruit seed extract. Scientists found
mixures!! So far I know this product is used in meat and in many countries, to which I personally do not agree. But things are like that. Noboddy cares.