I always knew it. Pancakes with maple syrup are so good, they must be “healthy”.
Canadian researchers took a different look at North American maple tree syrup. They published that the phenolic compounds contained in the syrup potentiates antimicrobial susceptibility by increasing outer-membrane permeability and effectively inhibit efflux pump activity, in addition to reducing biofilm formation.
After all the research into the antimicrobial activity of foods & spices (e.g. garlic), I am happy to see a less smelly product being promoted. In addition, this may explain why antimicrobial resistance is low in the Netherlands, a country with a proud tradition of pancake restaurants everywhere.
Seriously, antimicrobial activities have been reported from many extracts of “food & spices”, but none really made it into clinical practice. So far the mushrooms seem to be winning. Go Penicillium.
Photo: wikipedia
