Determining Mechanisms of Action and Optimum Use of Polyphenols As Food Preservatives

目前在这方面使用的化学品范围很广，包括有机酸、盐和各种亚硝酸盐化合物。其中一些添加剂，例如亚硝酸钠和亚硝酸钾，具有潜在的健康问题1、2，工业界对探索能够保持抗菌活性但具有更好的安全性的替代品3非常感兴趣。多酚是一组不同的天然产物，从植物中提取，具有多种特性，包括抗菌活性。由于多酚被认为是安全的，人们对在各种食品中使用多酚作为防腐剂非常感兴趣。普罗苏是一种商业上可获得的多酚混合物，目前正被添加到各种食品中，或被评估用于其他食品中。

Preservatives are crucial ingredients in a wide range of foods which are present in order to control growth of pathogenic and spoilage organisms and maintain product quality and shelf life. A wide range of chemicals are currently used in this context including organic acids, salts and various nitrite compounds. Some of these additives, for example sodium and potassium nitrite, have potential health concerns1, 2 and there is great interest in industry in exploring alternatives3 which can retain antimicrobial activity but have a better safety profile. Polyphenols are a diverse group of natural products, extracted from plants which have multiple properties including antimicrobial activity4. Due to their perceived safety there has been great interest in using polyphenols as preservatives in various food stuffs5. Prosur is one commercially available polyphenol mixture currently being added to various foods or evaluated for incorporation in others. Despite the potential for polyphenols as antimicrobials there are major knowledge gaps regarding their mechanisms of action, spectrum of activity or potential bacterial resistance. This project aims to identify active polyphenols from a well curated panel and determine their mechanisms of action and investigate how foodborne pathogens respond to polyphenol exposure. The ultimate goal is to inform development of improved polyphenol formulations to be used in food.The project will incorporate analytical chemistry, microbiology and functional genomics to provide complementary approaches to these problems.