Antimicrobial properties of oleuropein and products of its hydrolysis from green olives.

Oleuropein, the bitter glucoside in green olives, and products of its hydrolysis were tested for antibacterial action against certain species of lactic acid bacteria involved in the brine fermentation of olives. Oleuropein was not inhibitory, but two of its hydrolysis products, the aglycone and elenolic acid, inhibited growth of the four species of lactic acid bacteria tested. Another hydrolysis product, beta-3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyl alcohol, was not inhibitory. The aglycone of oleuropein and elenolic acid were much more inhibitory when the broth medium contained 5% NaCl; 150 mug of either compound per ml prevented growth of Lactobacillus plantarum. A crude extract of oleuropein, tested by paper disk bioassay, was inhibitory to 3 of 17 species of bacteria screened, none of which were lactic acid bacteria. The acid hydrolysate of the extract was inhibitory to 11 of the bacteria, which included four species of lactic acid bacteria and other gram-positive and gram-negative species. Neither crude preparation was inhibitory to growth of the seven species of yeasts tested. A possible explanation is given for the previously reported observation that heating (3 min, 74 C) olives prior to brining renders them more fermentable by lactic acid bacteria. Results of a brining experiment indicated that oleuropein is degraded to antibacterial compounds when unheated olives are brined.