Preservative agents in foods Mode of action and microbial resistance mechanisms

Quantification of Geotrichum candidum growth in co-culture with lactic acid bacteria

“…Yeasts are able to reduce the accumulation of weak acids inside the cells. The mechanisms of weak acid adaptation in yeasts are described in the studies of Brul and Coote (1999), Piper et al (2001), Hazan et al (2004).…”

Comparative Efficacy of Potassium Salts Against Soil-borne and Air-borne Fungi and Their Ability to Suppress Tomato Wilt and Fruit Rots

“…The principle mode of action of weak acid preservatives, such as sorbate, is believed to be the passage of the undissociated compound through the plasma membrane; once inside the cell in a higher pH environment, the acid dissociates causing an accumulation of protons and anions which cannot re-cross the plasma membrane [49]. In addition, sorbic acid and its salts are known for their ability to alter cell membrane and activity of several enzymes of Krebs cycle [50].…”

Manipulation of the tyrothricin production profile of Bacillus aneurinolyticus

“…Furthermore, reduced toxicities of the antimicrobial peptides through greater selectivity toward the more negatively charged bacterial cell membrane allow them to discriminate between pathogen targets and the neutral membranes of plants and animals (Javadpour et al, 1996;Matsuzaki et al, 1991Matsuzaki et al, , 1995Qin et al, 2003). Consequently, antimicrobial peptides show potential in the development of therapeutic agents to treat resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms or to serve as bio-pesticides and preservatives (Brul & Coote, 1999;Cleveland et al, 2001;Keymanesh et al, 2009).…”

“…Furthermore, reduced toxicities of the antimicrobial peptides through greater selectivity toward the more negatively charged bacterial cell membrane allow them to discriminate between pathogen targets and the neutral membranes of plants and animals (Javadpour et al, 1996;Matsuzaki et al, 1991Matsuzaki et al, , 1995Qin et al, 2003). Consequently, antimicrobial peptides show potential in the development of therapeutic agents to treat resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms or to serve as bio-pesticides and preservatives (Brul & Coote, 1999;Cleveland et al, 2001;Keymanesh et al, 2009).A major limitation to the large-scale use of antimicrobial peptides has been the cost and efficiency of their production (Bradshaw, 2003;Gordon et al, 2005;Marr et al, 2006;Yeaman & Yount, 2003). Automated chemical synthesis to produce antimicrobial peptides remains very costly (Hancock & Lehrer, 1998;Hancock & Sahl, 2006;Marr et al, 2006), while use of transgenic organisms for the production of antimicrobial peptides, either directly (De Bolle et al, 1996; François et al, 2002;Yarus et al, 1996) or as fusion proteins (Lee et al, 2000;Li, 2011;Moon et al, 2007), is limited to ribosomally produced antimicrobial peptides.…”