Discovery and characterisation of novel lanthipeptide biopreservatives

该项目的目的是促进微生物新陈代谢的基础知识，并为澳大利亚食品工业提供天然抗微生物分子。由于微生物的腐败，世界上四分之一的粮食供应都在减少。一些化学防腐剂已被开发出来对抗食品腐烂生物，但它们对人类健康的长期影响仍是争论的主题。消费者对安全和自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多肽可能是对抗食品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发现、生物合成和表征新型抗微生物羊硫肽的创新战略。

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.