Anaerobic metabolism of (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) by rat intestinal bacteria was investigated in vitro. First, intestinal bacteria which are capable of hydrolyzing EGCg to (−)- epigallocatechin (EGC) and gallic acid (2) were screened with 169 strains of enteric bacteria. As a result, Enterobacter aerogenes, Raoultella planticola, Klebsiella pneumoniae susp. pneumoniae, and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis were found to hydrolyze ...
