Objective
The objective is to identify and assess a range of natural antimicrobial systems for their potential as a novel means of extending the safety and improving the quality of food.
Research was carried out to identify and assess a range of natural antimicrobial systems for their potential as a means of extending the safety and improving the quality of food.
A wide range of lactic acid bacteria from cheese, other milk and dairy sources, meat, fruit and vegetables were screened. Antimicrobial bacteriocin activity was determined against food spoilage and pathogenic organisms such as Pseudomonas fraqi, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria innocua and Clostridium tyrobutyricum.
A study took place of 5 classes of natural antimicrobials from animal and plant sources. 3 of these were tested against 9 target organisms, 4 moulds, 1 yeast and 4 bacteria, while the last 2 were tested against the yeast and moulds and 7 specific spoilage yeasts from beverages. 3 classes of compounds showed promise for further studies (chitosan, lyticase and a cell wall degrading enzyme preparation).
There has been an initial study of microbial resistance to the inhibitory action of oleuropein, a phenolic glycoside from olives. This was coupled wth studies of the antimicrobial effect of oleuropein and phenolic extracts from Greek tea and herbs, on Staphylococcus aureus at different temperatures and pH values.
Phenolic extracts from olives and tea delayed the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and reduced the amount of toxin produced. Herb extracts had variable inhibiting effects and toxin production was lower in the nonfat milk. Oleuropein had an increasing effect as the inoculum size decreased and was less effective at a lower pH.
Finally, there has been a study of the fate of Salmonella enteriditis in food systems, alone and in conjunction with Lactobacillus fructivorum or Zygosaccharomyces baillii, when challenged with natural antimicrobial agents such as mustard, garlic and pepper at various temperatures and pH values.
More specifically, the content and activity of natural antimicrobial agents in plant, animal and microbial systems will be assessed. The ease of extraction, purification and their antimicrobial effectiveness will be examined.
The activity of the new antimicrobials will be tested individually, as well as in combination with traditional preservation techniques, against food spoilage and poisoning organisms in laboratory media and foods.
The study will also examine technological aspects of antimicrobial production in relation to the quality of the end product, and the environmental impact of the process.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry organic acids
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture fruit growing
- engineering and technology other engineering and technologies food technology food safety
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture vegetable growing
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Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
KT22 7RY LEATHERHEAD
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.