Research Natamycin Bacteriostatic Preservative In Bakery

Natamycin, also known as pimaricin or swim streptomycin, is an important hormone polyene macrolide antifungal agent, produced during fermentation by the bacterium Streptomyces natalensis. As a natural food additive, natamycin has a broad spectrum and very high efficient inhibitory effect against fungi(yeast and mold). In the experiment, the preservation and antimicrobial effect of had natamycin been investigated in baking food. Natamycin with different concentration had been applied in common baked foods: moon cake, cake, sliced bread, wet noodles. The mold colonies, the total number of bacterial colonies in these baked food were measured. The antimicrobial preservative effects between natamycin and other common food preservatives had also been studied. The composite use of natamycin and potassium sorbate had been determined in baking food, in order to obtain better preservative effect. And, a real bakery production simulation experiment of natamycin in baking food had also been explored. The main findings and results are as follows:Natamycin can inhibit efficiently fungal growth and reproduction in bakery products, however, no effect against bacteria. Natamycin has better inhibit effect to mold than potassium sorbate, calcium propionate, sodium acetate and other common preservatives. Under the same experimental conditions, natamycin can prolong the shelf life of baked foods for significantly longer time than calcium propionate; for the same shelf life, the amount and concentration of natamycin is only 1% to 4% of those of potassium sorbate and sodium acetate dehydrogenation, respectively. The optimal concentration of the treatment liquid of natamycin applied in baked food, is 300-400 mg / kg(or mg / L water or 75% ethanol solution).Potassium sorbate, as a kind of widely-used food preservative in various foods, has a good effect against bacterial and fungal. Potassium sorbate can combined with the sulfhydryl in enzyme system, thus destroy many important enzyme systems. Potassium sorbate, can only play a role through the cell membrane into the microorganisms, and correspondingly, Natamycin can alter the permeability of cell membranes, which makes potassium sorbate easier to enter the cells of microorganisms. The cooperative use of natamycin and potassium sorbate can have better preservative effect in the baked food. The research result shows a significant inhibition effect against both fungi and bacteria. The best preservative effect of the composite ratio: natamycin concentration of 0.4g / kg, and potassium sorbate 8g / kg.In order to explore the practical application of natamycin and potassium sorbate preservative effect of compound in production. This experiment simulated the actual production of composite preservative used in moon cake and other baked goods.In practical application, the natamycin and potassium sorbate complex, allows moon cake, cakes, breads and raw wet noodle at 28 ℃ storage condition for their shelf lifes, more than 60, 10, 15 and 15 days respectively. And the amount of residue of natamycin and potassium sorbate is much less than the national standard.