GSE


Grapefruit Seed Extract: What is It?

Grapefruit Seed 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 non-toxic and even essential for maintaining healthy neurological function and fat metabolism.
GSE features the best of both worlds: the quaternary compounds derived from grapefruit exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, 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. (Practitioners of Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine consider both qualities to be part of the therapeutic process.) 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 Extract Production
1) Grapefruit pulp and seeds(the by-product of expeller-extracted grapefruit juice) is dried and ground into a fine powder.
2) The grapefruit powder is dissolved in purified water and distilled to remove the fiber and pectin.
3) This distilled slurry is spray dried at low temperatures forming a concentrated grapefruit bioflavonoid powder.
4) This concentrated powder is dissolved in vegetable glycerine and heated.
5) Food grade ammonium chloride and ascorbic acid are added, and this mixture is heated under pressure.
6) This material undergoes catalytic conversion using natural catalysts (including hydrochloric acid and natural enzymes.).
7) This slurry is cooled, filtered and treated with ultraviolet light.

The amount of Ammonium Chloride remaining in the final product is between 15% and 19%.
The amount of Ascorbic Acid remaining in the final product is between 25mg/g and 30mg/g.
There is no residue of hydrochloric acid in the final product.

The Citricidal Story

Citricidal was originally developed by a German physicist and immunologist, Jacob Harish, as an antiparasitic. Dr. Harish was finally in the 1960's able to convince researchers at the University of Florida at Gainesville to experiment with the use of grapefruit extract as an alternative to then-current chemicals for the protection of fruit and vegetables. They were quickly won over with GSE's amazing ability to inhibit the growth of not only parasites, but fungi and bacteria as well. Tests conducted by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in the early 1980's confirmed that Citricidal, as it was then called, was effective in inhibiting viral strains in cattle and hogs, and was approved for the USDA's Evian Influenza Eradication Program in 1984. Sadly, USDA's promise to investigate further uses for Citricidal in these areas has never materialized.

Since the mid-1980's, the production team at Citricidal® worked closely with Dr. Harish, perfected the manufacturing process, opened new facilities, and pioneered the use of Citricidal® beyond it's original application.

Citricidal® is synthesized from the polyphenolic compounds found in grapefruit seed and pulp. Numerous reactions are involved, including distillation, catalytic conversion, and ammoniation. The active component of Citricidal is a quaternary ammonium chloride(a diphenol hydroxybenzene reacted with ammonium chloride) similiar to benzethonium chloride when analysed in accordance with USP XXII/NF XVII. (Benz. Chloride is a powerful germical agent, but is highly toxic to all animal life. See info on toxicity, below)

Residues of pesticides, fungicides and preservatives have always been a concern with regards to our product. The use of these compounds is common in the agricultural and botanical industries in the United States as well as abroad. In addition, the extraction processes involved in botanicals would not necessarily remove these compounds. Therefore, every batch of Citricidal® is certified for the absence of such residues, as well as the absence of Triclosan, a common germicide and preservative. Independent labs have confirmed these results. (see United States Testing Company Report No. 405993, dated 9/8/95). The results show no trace of triclosan, while displaying very strong antimicrobial activity. Every batch of Citricidal is tested and certified free from chemical and heavy metal contamination. And in an attempt to further improve the product, a source of grapefruit seed and pulp from Certified Organically Grown grapefruits has been secured.

To further show the safety of Citricidal, an Acute Oral Toxicity Study was performed(see Northview Pacific Labs Report No. X5E015G, dated 7/6/95). Results showed that Citricidal is considered non-toxic by oral ingestion with an LD50 of over 5000 mg/kg of live body weight. This is the equivalent of a 200 lb. person drinking close to 1 lb. of pure Citricidal daily for two weeks, before risking a 50% risk of fatal poisoning. (There are close to 20,000 drops in one pound of Citricidal liquid. The recommended adult dose is 5-6 drops at a time.)

According to the Association of Poison Control Centers, the AMA Physician Reporting System, and the Journal of Emergency Medicine, there have been no reports that Citricidal has ever harmed anyone. In fact, there are thousands of clinical and anecdotal reports that Citricidal has helped many, and enjoys a safety record going back more than 30 years.

Over the years, numerous and differing analytical tests have been performed to determine the active components of Citricidal. The test results have quite often varied, for the following reasons: a.) varying test procedures, b.) different chemicals used in the test procedures producing false positives, c.) different interpretations of test procedures resulting in false positives, and d.) the different background of the chemists involved, organic chemistry vs. inorganic chemistry being an issue. The similarity in molecular weight between Citricidal and both Benzelkonium Chloride and Benzelthonium Chloride has wrongly influenced some(including drug and chemical manufacturers) to assert that Citricidal has been "spiked" with these poisons. (They are both powerful industrial disinfectants, and are even found in some consumer goods in the U.S.) But once again, independent lab tests, and a 30-year track record of safe use as a human therapeutic speak loudly against such slander.

"Citricidal®" is the trademark of our professional-strength product, available in both liquid and powder form. "Nutribiotic®" is the trademark of our growing consumer line of products containing Citricidal® in measured quantities, along with other, thoroughly tested ingredients, insuring the highest quality, potency, and safety.

With so many products on the market making so many claims, a measure of skepticism about GSE is understandable. But consider that Citricidal® and NutriBiotic® extracts have been used in their present form for some 10 years, all over the world. Virtually all of our bulk-order customers have had the product tested in the laboratory before buying. Even without the advantages afforded the pharmaceutical establishment, Citricidal® and NutriBiotic® have gained wide acceptance. Production for 1998 exceeded 1.5 million pounds. As more uses are discovered, and more testing is done to confirm its safety and efficacy, it is certain that many more questions about agricultural, environmental, and human health will be answered with Citricidal® Grapefruit Seed Extract.