Assessment of Antimicrobial Effect of Materials in Foods

Service scope:

Assessment of microbial growth behavior in liquid and semi-liquid foods under the presence or stress of antimicrobial materials. Tested matrices include milk, yogurt, dairy beverages, sour cream, whey, soy milk, natto, soy sauce, fish sauce, shrimp paste, apple cider vinegar, kimchi juice, wort, fruit purée, vegetable juice, and soybean milk.

Antimicrobial materials include:

• Natural antimicrobials: chitosan, tea polyphenols, plant essential oils (e.g., clove oil, thymol), plant extracts (e.g., aloe extract, bamboo leaf extract, water chestnut peel extract), bacteriocins, antimicrobial peptides (e.g., WK, KMY15, nisin), lactoferrin, propolis, protamine, ε-polylysine.
• Inorganic antimicrobials: silver ions and compounds, nanosilver, zinc oxide, nano-zinc oxide, copper oxide, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, lithium carbonate, nanocopper, potassium sorbate, calcium phosphate.
• Organic antimicrobials: vanillin and ethyl vanillin derivatives, acyl anilides, imidazoles, thiazoles, isothiazolinone derivatives, quaternary ammonium compounds (e.g., benzalkonium chloride), biguanides, phenolic compounds, sodium dehydroacetate, dimethyl dicarbonate.

Deliverables:

• Microbial growth curves.
• Growth rate curves.
• Growth acceleration/deceleration curves.
• Time to reach maximum growth rate, acceleration, and deceleration.
• Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).
• Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC).