Biological Methods of Preservation Flashcards
Define Biopreservation:
Give some examples:
Use of Microorganisms, their metabolic products, or both to preserve food (excluding fermentation)
- controlled acidification
- bacteriocins
- bacteriophages
What is controlled acidification?
acidification of food for preservation:
done by direct addition of organic acid, fermentation, or use LAB to produce in situ
What is MicroGard?
form of controlled acidification:
contains fermentable carb + customized culture (depending on product)
acts as safeguard: if food temperature abused -> MicroGard microbes will grow and make acid, prevent pathogens
What are the main benefits of MicroGard?
- protect shelf life/safety
- maintain organoleptic qualities
- “natural” product
What is the Winsconsin process, and what are the advantages?
add less nitrite, 0.7% sucrose, LAB: to prevent C. botulinum in bacon
less nitrite needed (less potential carcinogens)
What are bacteriocins?
Bacteriocins produced by ____ are of particular interest.
antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria that are lethal to others, but not the producer (or humans)
LAB
What are the different categories of bacteriocins?
Class I, Class II, Class III, Class IV
What are the Class I bacteriocins and how are they made?
unusual AA; made by posttranslational modification
ex: dehydroalanine, dehydrobutyrine, lanthionine, methyllanthione
What is a specific subcategory of Class I bacteriocins? How is it produced?
Lantibiotics (containing lanthionine ring)
rxn of dehydro-amino acids with cysteine -> thioether lanthionine
What is the best characterized LAB bacteriocin? What category does it belong in, and how is it produced industrially?
NISIN class I bacteriocin
made by culturing L. lactis (not synthesized chemically) -> for cheese/meat/beverages
True/False: Nisin is produced by lactic acid bacteria
True
What is an example of a lantibiotic not made by LAB? What is it used for?
subtilin (made by Bacillus subtilis)
antibacterial action; also protease (food, laundry detergent, lens cleaners)
What are 2 examples of lantibiotics?
subtilin, nisin
What are class II bacteriocins?
small heat stable proteins
with consensus leader sequence that signals to cell to export protein
What are the subclasses of Class II bacteriocins?
IIa: active against L. monocytogenes
IIb: requires 2 different peptides for activity
IIc: requires reduced cysteine for activity
What are class III bacteriocins?
> 30kDa (large) heat-liable proteins
What are class IV bacteriocins?
with lipid or carb components (unknown function)
What method is used to discover new bacteriocins?
Place colony of bacteriocin producer onto agar inoculated with lawn of other bacterium -> incubate, observe for ZONE OF INHIBITION (circle of no growth)
True/False: a zone of inhibition indicates there is definitely bacteriocin production
False: could be other inhibitory substance (organic acid, H peroxide, phage contamination)
How can you differentiate between the potential causes of a zone of inhibition?
bacteriocin: sharp edges, colony in center
organic acid: fuzzy edges
Phage: no colony n center
Perform test: remove colony, apply protease -> if it was bacteriocin, then the bacteria should now be able to grow over