Eukaryotic Antimicrobial Peptides: Promises and Premises in Food Safety

Abstract

There is a lack of efficient and safe preservatives in the food industry. Massive use of some common food preservation methods has led, over the years, to development of a resistance to different treatments by various food pathogens. Enteric bacteria are especially tolerant to adverse environmental conditions-such as low pH and high salt concentrations-which limits efficiency of some preservation methods. Consumers demand for natural, preservative-free, and minimally processed foods and worldwide concern regarding disease outbreaks caused by food-related pathogens have created a need for development of new classes of antimicrobial (AM) agents. The twentieth century revealed a massive array of new peptide-based antimicrobials. Small ribosomally made compounds are found in practically all living species where they act as important component of host defense. Certain indubitable advantages of peptides-pertaining to simplicity, activity spectra, and bacterial resistance-over known preservative agents advocate their potential for food preservation. Nisin, an AM compound originating from bacteria, is so far the only FDA-approved peptide. However, a growing number of reports describe the potential of animal-derived antimicrobial peptides as food preservatives. These studies have yielded various native compounds and/or derivatives that possess markedly improved antimicrobial properties under a broad range of incubation conditions. The present work reviews the most investigated peptides and accounts for their potential use as alternatives to the preservatives used today. The focus is on research aspects aiming at understanding the mechanism of action of these peptides at extreme environments of various food systems. Collectively, the data accumulated are convincingly indicative of potential applications of these peptides in food safety, namely, with respect to fighting multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Release kinetics of nisin from biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) films into water

“…1) has been the main choice because it is a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) additive by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and it inhibits the growth of Gram positive pathogens (Joerger, 2007). Nisin is able to suppress the synthesis of the microbial cell wall (Sanjurjo et al, 2006;Rydlo et al, 2006). Nisin's amphipathic behavior permits it to bind to the microbial cell wall, thereby altering its conformation, which leads to the formation of holes through which the loss of internal materials involved in the reproduction takes place (Cleveland et al, 2001).…”

Mechanisms Mediating Bactericidal Properties and Conditions That Enhance the Potency of a Broad-Spectrum Oligo-Acyl-Lysyl

“…In addition to their therapeutic potential, HDPs are believed to be useful in a variety of antimicrobial applications, such as in cosmetics or food safety (17,51). Nisin, for instance, is a widely used bacteriocin (50), including its use to control and/or prevent L. monocytogenes in a variety of foods (7,17).…”

Experimental Conditions That Enhance Potency of an Antibacterial Oligo-Acyl-Lysyl

“…In addition to their therapeutic potential, HDPs are believed to be useful in a variety of additional applications, such as in cosmetics or food safety (20,46,47,58). The virulent form of E. coli designated serotype O157:H7 has highly efficient mechanisms of global stress resistance, which contribute to its low infectious dose and tolerance to stress factors, including acidic pH (41).…”