( The research group Estudio de sustanci...)Researchers from the UGR use a bacterium to obtain biopreservatives from food

The research group "Estudio de sustancias antagonistas producidas por microorganismos" (Antagonistic substances produced by microorganisms), part of the Microbiology Department of the University of Granada (Universidad de Granada [http://www.ugr.es]), has succeeded in isolating enterocin AS-48, which could have a medium-term use as food biopreservative. This represents a significant advance, given that biopreservation is an innovative method in food-preservation systems based on the use of microorganisms or their metabolic products to inhibit or destroy undesirable microorganisms.

Marina Sánchez Hidalgo, member of the research group and author of the doctoral thesis entitled 'Caracterización de variantes de la enterocina AS-48 obtenidas mediante mutagénesis dirigida' (Characterization of enterocin AS-48 variants via site-directed mutagenesis), explains that AS-48 is a bacteriocin (protein substance with antimicrobial activity) produced by Enterococcus faecalis S-48. "The bacteriocin is characterized by its circular structure —that is, because of the joining of its ends?contrary to most of proteins, which have a beginning and an end." AS-48 is very stable with respect to pH and temperature and has a broad action spectrum against numerous bacteria, including pathogenic bacteria transmitted by food, "which makes it a suitable molecule to use as a biopreservative."

The research carried out at the UGR will complete the information concerning the way that bacteriocins act on bacterial membranes and will also help in designing antimicrobial molecules with new characteristics. "Our work," states Marina Sánchez, "has determined which AS-48 amino acids are essential for membranestability and biological activity, and it has also helped us understand how this molecule permeabilizes bacterial membranes."

Competition for nutrients

Over the course of evolution, microorganisms have developed several strat
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Source:Universidad de Granada

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