Marianne Gutierrez: Health Practitioner: Pure cold pressed grapefruit seed extract has no antimicrobial properties.

Pure cold pressed grapefruit seed extract has no antimicrobial properties. · 7 January 2008

There are several articles concerning this product on this website.

Last year sometime I bought some Organic Grapefruit Seed Extract – cold pressed and no chemicals used in the process. It purported to have the same anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties as the product called Citricidal or the non-organic grapefruit seed extract but without the nasty chemicals.

I used it on myself and found no benefits whatsoever.

I had in the past used Citricidal for stomach upsets and for athlete’s foot when I ran out of tea-tree to great effect.

I asked a friend of mine to test the cold-pressed organic grapefruit seed extract for anti-microbial activity in the lab where she worked. She could only test it for anti-bacterial effects.

It proved not to have any, infact the Organic Cold-Pressed grapefruit seed extract grew bacteria, it didn’t kill it.

What follows is an email string to another company who produce grapefruit seed extract using a chemical or something to extract the extract.

To Company A

Dear Sir or Madam

Can you explain why an organic cold-pressed grapefruit seed extract when tested in a laboratory had NO anti-bacterial effects and actually grew bacteria?

Doesn’t this prove that the chemically extracted grapefruit seed extract has anti-microbial effects because of the chemical benzethonium chloride which is also known to have anti-microbial effects itself?

I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Mrs Marianne Gutierrez

Hi Marianne,
Please see this Certificate of Analysis http://www.pureliquidgold.com/Rebuttal.htm for our product! I stand by what the manufacturer says in our product i cannot speak for other accusations!

Best Regards

Hi

Thank you for the link, I read that report.

What I don’t understand is that the cold-pressed organic grapefruit seed extract had no anti-bacterial effect. How do you explain that?

Surely if grapefruit seeds had an anti-microbial effect then chewing a grapefruit seed would be helpful? So why doesn’t everyone do that?

I look forward to your response.

With good wishes
Marianne

Hi Marianne,
Grapefruit seed extract is manufactured using a proprietary process that enhances it’s potency as shown below!

How is Grapefruit Extract Made?

Grapefruit extract (GSE) is made by first converting grapefruit seeds and pulp into a very acidic liquid. This liquid is loaded with polyphenolic compounds, including quercitin, helperidin, campherol glycoside, neohelperidin, naringin, apigenin, rutinoside, poncirin, etc.

The polyphenols themselves are unstable but are chemically converted into more stable substances that belong to a diverse class of products called quaternary ammonium compounds. Some quaternary compounds, benzethonium chloride and benzalkonium chloride, for example, are used industrially as antimicrobials, but are toxic to animal life. The B vitamin choline is also a quaternary compound, but is nontoxic and even essential for maintaining healthy neurological function and fat metabolism.

Grapefruit extract features the best of both worlds. While evidencing none of the toxic side-effects of chemically-derived quaternaries.

The finished product is a viscous, yellow-amber colored liquid that features a taste that is both bitter and acidic. Pure vegetable glycerin is added to reduce the bitterness and acidity to a tolerable level and to reduce the possibility that incidental contact could cause irritation to the skin or mucous membranes. Grapefruit seed extract has a slight citrus smell.

Best Regards

Hi
I really don’t mean to be a pain but I don’t understand.

Surely the proprietary process that enhances the potency of GSE is benzalkonium chloride?
If it is present in chemically derived GSE but not present in organic GSE it proves the presence of benzalkonium chloride?

How is the conversion made? Surely the answer is: with benzalkonium chloride.

How is grapefruit seeds and pulp converted into a very acidic liquid? Surely the answer is: with benzalkonium chloride?
How are the polyphenals chemically converted? Surely the answer is: with benzalkonium chloride?

Why doesn’t the grapefruit seed extract have none of the toxic side-effects of chemically derived quaternaries?

I really don’t mean to be a nuisence. I would love to trust GSE because it could be such a useful product but the side-effects of benzalkonium chloride I do not want.

Thank you for your help.
Good wishes
Marianne

Hi Marianne,
Maybe you should ask the people who keep claiming that GSE contains these chemicals to prove their point! I can only offer manufacturer information! I am not in a position to offer any further information. If you want you can read the manufacturers page for more information http://www.biochemresearch.com/citricidal.htm Personally i view all this as nothing less than a smear campaign by big pharma that cannot tolerate the low cost alternative? I get rather tired of defending our product against unfounded claims made by anyone and everyone!

Best Regards

To Company B

Dear Sir or Madam

I am interested in grapefruit seed extract but because of CFS/ME do not want to take in chemicals of any kind in the same way that I try and avoid foods with pesticides and choose organic produce where possible.

I know that a chemical benzalkonium chloride is used to extract the extract from the pulp and seeds of grapefruits in ‘ordinary’ grapefruit seed extract.

However what I don’t understand is the differences between organic cold-pressed grapefruit seed extract and ‘ordinary’ grapefruit seed extract.

In a laboratory the cold-pressed grapefruit seed extract showed to have NO anti-bacterial effect. So what is causing the anti-bacterial effect in ‘ordinary’ grapefruit seed extract?

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely
Mrs Marianne Gutierrez

Dear Ms Guttierrez

Our product is synthesized from grapefruit through a proprietary process that produces a quaternary compount. Our product does not use nor contain benzalkonium chloride.

Pure cold pressed grapefruit seed extract has no antimicrobial properties.

Regards,

Management

Confused? So am I. I think I am being blinded with science. However the last statement says it all really.

So as cold pressed grapefruit seed extract has no antimicrobial properties then with non-cold-pressed grapefruits it must be the unnatural process itself that is used to obtain the extract that must have the antimicrobial activities. Therefore antimicrobial properties have never been naturally present in the natural grapefruit seed itself.

Surely?

You must decide for yourselves. I would love to have your thoughts.

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Hi Marrianne, I have just read your very interesting posts re GSE and you make some good points. I have only been interested in GSE recently because my budgie (parakeet) is unwell and we have to disinfect his cage. The vet gave me chemical stuff which I’m loathe to use… so heard about GSE and thought perhaps it would be MUCH better. Now I’m not so sure having read what you had to say about it…. if as you imply, it only works because it has benzalkonium chloride in it, then it’s no better than any chemical product. Seems to me that you are right re the properties of GSE only being antibacterial due to the benzalkonium etc in it…. what a con…. such a shame too because the makers claim so much good for the product but don’t tell you what’s in it or how it’s processed.
I hope you didn’t mind my writing but with what you’ve said after my hopes of it being the “miracle” cure all… I’m terribly disappointed and will just stick with the Trigene that the vet has given me.
best wishes
Chrissie

— Chrissie Mar 16, 08:02 AM #
Hi Chrissie
Not all is lost! Do not dispair! There is a product you can use which is natural and safe – Colloidal silver. See: Colloidal Silver
Colloidal simply means the way the silver is distributed in the distilled water.
Silver is a natural antibiotic and antifungal and antiviral. IT IS FANTASTIC. I have used it on my dog to excellent effect. I use it on myself and it is fabulous. I wouldn’t be without it.
Hope you are able to source the colloidal as it is very safe for animals.

With good wishes
Marianne

— Marianne Mar 26, 04:24 PM #

I would be very interested to hear your comments: