This Drink Could Save You from Food Poisoning

Food poisoning. It bites. But what if you could drink a potion that neutralized the bacteria stewing in your belly?

A new study to be published in the March 2014 volume of the journal Food Control suggests that drinking blackberry juice may save you from a great deal of pain and suffering.

When researchers from the University of Maryland in College Park added a solution containing 10 percent blackberry juice to broth and milk containing the pathogens E. coli, listeria and salmonella, they found that blackberry juice inhibited the growth of those pathogens. Even more surprisingly, the juice stimulated the growth of beneficial bacteria including the probiotic lactobacillus.

The news is exciting to study co-author Debabrata Biswas, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland’s Center for Food Safety and Security Systems.

"People should drink blackberry juice," Biswas told us. In addition to possibly saving you from a nasty bout of food poisoning, it contains beneficial substances like antioxidants. Even better, adding whole blackberries to a salad can counteract the effects of pathogens if those greens are contaminated. As Biswas notes, “Leafy greens are really one of the big problems because we need to eat them raw.”

Additionally, Biswas believes the findings could impact the way livestock is raised. Consider this: Food poisoning in humans is often traced back to contaminated animal feed. To combat this issue, many meat and poultry producers resort to treating their animals' feed with chemicals.

Biswas suggests that the solution may be as simple as adding antimicrobials like blackberries to animal feed, eliminating the need for harsh chemicals. An inexpensive price tag might appeal to farmers, too. Blackberry pomace—a byproduct of blackberry juice or wine production that is typically thrown away—can be used instead of whole blackberries or blackberry juice, says Biswas.

And blackberries aren’t the only fruit that might be able to fend off food poisoning. In 2012, Biswas co-authored a different study in the Journal of Food Safety that suggested blueberry juice also inhibits the growth of salmonella, C. jejuni, listeria and E. coli.

Biswas is adamant that more research must be conducted before radical changes are made to the way livestock is raised. But he has no qualms about encouraging people to eat blackberries in reasonable quantities.

Until we hear otherwise, we’ll be loading up our breakfast cereal, oatmeal and desserts with blackberries and blueberries. There’s no downside—they’re delicious—and your gut may thank you, too.