A recent study by scientists at the U.S. Crop Research Center found that cranberries contain a bioactive ingredient that has the potential to control urinary tract infections. The bioactive ingredient, which can be obtained from freshly squeezed cranberry pulp, has the ability to inhibit Escherichia coli. Escherichia coli, also known as E. coli, is one of the most common pathogenic bacteria of UTIs. A biomolecule called “proanthocyanidins” has also been found in cranberry pulp. This substance has long been thought to be effective in treating UTIs because it reduces the number of bacteria adhering to the urinary tract, thereby destroying the pathogenic basis of urinary tract infections. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, UTIs rank second in the list of infections that humans suffer from. More than 8 million physicians receive patients with UTIs each year. Generally, the treatment strategy for UTIs is the application of antibiotics. The application of natural substances for the treatment and prevention of UTIs is a more applied matter, since the use of antibiotics leads to the development of resistance of the pathogenic bacteria. The newly discovered bioactive substance is found in the pulp, skin and juice residue of cranberries. After studying its chemical structure, the researchers found that it is actually a substance called “xyloglucan. Measuring the ability of xyloglucan to interfere with specific strains of bacteria, it was found that xyloglucan reduced the ability of Escherichia coli to adhere to bladder epithelial cells and colonic epithelial cells. ”Xylogluco-oligosaccharides are different from proanthocyanidins, so in fact, many of the active substances in cranberries have the biological activity to control UTIs.” Arland Hotchkiss, a prominent Pennsylvania plant physiologist, said, “We believe that the xylogluco-oligosaccharides contained in cranberries do a good job of preventing Escherichia coli from adhering to the surface of the urinary and digestive systems.” Cranberry xylogluco-oligosaccharides are now being tested in humans. “We still need to study the effect of different concentrations on the therapeutic effect of xyloglucan. We also urgently need to find out if xyloglucan has a synergistic effect with proanthocyanidins.”