Natamycin and nisin to improve shelf life and minimize benzene generation in lemon soft drinks

Abstract

Benzoic acids preservatives may be converted to benzene in soft drinks. The use of alternative antimicrobial compounds, specifically nisin and natamycin, would reduce benzene formation. Onitially, doses of nisin and natamycin were tested against Lactobacillus plantarum lactic bacteria and Zygosaccharomyces bailii yeast. Using 167 UO/mL of nisin and 0.017% w/v of natamycin no microbial growth was reached on lemon-flavored soft drinks. The benzene formation was analyzed in a standard formulation (380 mg/L of sodium benzoate and 180 mg/L of potassium sorbate) and nisin and natamycn formulation (167 UO/mL of nisin and 0.017% w/v of natamycin). The soft drinks were stored without UV exposure at 20 °C and with UV sunlight exposure at 30 °C, for 120 days at PET bottles. The initial benzene content was 1.29 μg/kg for standard and 0.09 μg/kg for nisin and natamycin formulation; these values increased to 11.00 μg/kg and 0.18 μg/kg, respectively. The sensory attributes did not differ from each formulation, either initially or after 120 days of storage. The lower benzene concentrations obtained using nisin and natamycin suggest that these compounds are attractive alternatives to benzoic acids, keeping the sensory quality and microbial stability during shelf life.

Recipe for Success: Suggestions and Recommendations for the Isolation and Characterisation of Bacteriocins

“…Nisin, one of the very few bacteriocins currently approved for use on the market, has been applied as a preservative in food [11,135]. It has demonstrated its capabilities not only to inhibit the growth of pathogenic food contaminating microorganisms but to extend shelf life and improve the quality of foods [16][17][18]24]. Despite possessing activity against clinically relevant pathogens, no bacteriocins have been approved for medicinal use to date [8,24,69,77].…”

“…e peptide has been found to successfully inhibit the growth of serious food pathogens including Listeria monocytogenes [12], which has been isolated from RTE foods, such as cooked meats and vegetables which are generally eaten as is (i.e., not heated or cooked further) [13][14][15]. Studies have also found that nisin improves the shelf life of a range of items, including dairy products and soft drinks by reducing the formation of compounds connected to spoilage while improving aroma and taste [16][17][18]. e second bacteriocin which has GRAS status and approved for market use is also derived from a lactic acid bacterium.…”

Bactericidal effect of nisin and reuterin on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and S. aureus ATCC 25937

“…Some other researchers were used chitosan coating and M. aquatica L. essence against E. coli, S. aureus and L. monocytogenes and its capability as a natural, healthy and safe preservative system to improve Iranian white cheese shelf-life and noticed significant growth inhibition of 88.54% and 85.9% were obtained for S. aureus (Zavareh & Ardestani (2020). Combination of nisin an natamycin were applied to foods as used in lemon soft drinks to inhibit the growth of L. plantarum and Z. bailii cultures and remained stable after 120 days (Garavaglia et al, 2019).…”

Benzene food exposure and their prevent methods: a review

“…Another mechanism for its formation is thermal induction, similar to the mechanism for the formation of acrylamide and furan (Lachenmeier et al , 2008). The temperature and product storage time have a direct effect on benzene formation (Garavaglia et al , 2019). Garavaglia et al (2019) reported that benzene content of lemon soft drink increased by 210% after 120 days of storage.…”

“…Garavaglia et al suggested that the use of substitute antimicrobial compounds, specifically nisin and natamycin, would reduce benzene formation. The lower benzene concentrations obtained using nisin and natamycin suggest that these compounds are attractive alternatives to benzoic acids, keeping the sensory and microbial quality during shelf life (Garavaglia et al , 2019).…”