Antimicrobial Activity in Lingonberry

Posted on April 5, 2017 by | 2 Comments

This study from Romania/Hungary showed that lingonberries have a high anti-microbial activity especially relating to Pseudomonas species. The authors found that where you harvest makes a big difference in this anti-microbial activity. When selecting for high activity, the location needs to be considered. It is not known just what in the environment is influencing the activity, but it can be highly variable.

2017 Laslo

This entry was posted in Diseases, Lingonberry, Lowbush cranberry, (Vaccinium vitis-idaea). Bookmark the permalink.

2 responses to “Antimicrobial Activity in Lingonberry”

  1. thefiddleheadabode | June 17, 2017 at 9:55 pm | Reply

    I definitely love lingonberries. They’re so good at their antimicrobial task that natives occasionally used them to preserve meat since they didn’t have access to a large amount of salt.

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    • hortalaska | August 25, 2017 at 7:12 pm | Reply

      One of my colleagues spent some time in Tromso, Norway and noticed a bunch of grouse hanging in a hot, sunny butcher shop window. He asked the butcher how the grouse could hang in that window with even the feathers on. The butcher told him the birds had eaten a lot of lingonberries, and the benzoic acid in the berries prevented the meat from spoiling! It still sounds outrageous to me, and I’d love to hear anyone else who has experienced this natural “meat preservative”.

      Liked by 1 person

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