Discovery and characterisation of novel lanthipeptide biopreservatives

该项目的目的是推进微生物代谢的基础知识，并为澳大利亚食品工业提供天然的抗微生物分子。世界上四分之一的食物供应因微生物变质而损失。一些化学防腐剂已经被开发出来对抗食物变质的生物体，然而它们对人类健康的长期影响是争论的主题。消费者对安全和天然替代品的需求正在增长。矛盾的是，微生物产生的生物活性肽可能是对抗食物腐败微生物和食源性病原体的关键。为此，该项目打算开发一种创新策略，用于发现、生物合成和表征新型抗微生物镧硫肽。

The aim of this project is to advance fundamental knowledge of microbial metabolism and provide natural anti-microbial molecules to the Australian food industry. A quarter of the world’s food supply is lost because of microbiological spoilage. Some chemical preservatives have been developed to combat food spoilage organisms, however their chronic impact on human health is the subject of debate. Consumer demand for safe and natural alternatives is growing. Paradoxically, microbially-produced bioactive peptides may be the key to combating food spoilage organisms and food-borne pathogens. To this end, the project intends to develop an innovative strategy for the discovery, biosynthesis and characterisation of novel anti-microbial lanthipeptides.