Proteins as potential bacterial growth inhibitors in foods: Suppression of the activity of water by proteins as determined by NMR relaxation methods

Food microbiologists have long known that suppression of the activity of water, a sub(w), can retard microbial growth in food systems. Traditionally, a sub(w) suppression has been achieved by addition of salts or humectants to foods. To limit the amount of preservatives added to food products, studi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Industrial Microbiology 1988-05, Vol.3 (3), p.147-155
Main Authors: Kumosinski, Thomas F., Pessen, Helmut, Farrell, Harold M.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Food microbiologists have long known that suppression of the activity of water, a sub(w), can retard microbial growth in food systems. Traditionally, a sub(w) suppression has been achieved by addition of salts or humectants to foods. To limit the amount of preservatives added to food products, studies were initiated to assess the feasibility of using proteins to suppress a sub(w) to a practical value for retarding bacterial growth and to determine the optimum environmental conditions for maximizing this effect for milk proteins. Generalizations regarding the types of proteins and cosolutes to be used for suppressing a sub(w) will be discussed. Structural information on these proteins calculated from tau sub(c) will also be presented.
ISSN:0169-4146
1476-5535
DOI:10.1007/BF01569521