Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Beverage or beverage concentrate
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-05
2001-12-11
Low, Christopher S. F. (Department: 1653)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Beverage or beverage concentrate
C514S012200, C530S324000, C426S599000, C426S656000, C426S335000, C426S268000, C435S252000, C435S252100, C435S252310, C435S252500, C435S832000, C435S833000, C435S834000, C435S835000, C435S836000, C435S837000, C435S838000, C435S839000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06329011
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an antimicrobial agent against acid-resistant and heat-resistant bacteria, and more specifically, to an antimicrobial agent, which contains as an effective ingredient a safe peptide derived from a natural product, against acid-resistant and heat-resistant bacteria such as
Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As typical bacteria, which exhibit acid resistance in combination with heat resistance, there are known
Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris, Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius,
etc. The spores of these bacteria possess resistance against the normally employed pasteurization method for fruit juice. Therefore, in recent years, the spoilage of fruit juice caused by
Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris
has been a serious problem throughout the world.
In order to suppress growth of the bacterium in fruit juice, it is effective to add a synthetic preservative such as benzoic acid. However, there is now strongly demanded a material with an enhanced degree of safety, which is derived from a natural product but not from a synthetic product.
As an antimicrobial agent, which is derived from a natural product and is effective against the bacterium, there has been reported only nisin, which is a peptide derived from lactic acid bacterium (International Journal of Food Science and Technology, vol. 34, pp. 81 to 85, 1999). However, nisin contains a special type of amino acids such as dehydroalanine.
Consequently, for the preservation and storage of fruit juice, there is demanded an antimicrobial agent, which is derived from a natural product and is effective at lower concentration, against acid-resistant and heat-resistant bacteria such as
Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris.
The inventor of the present invention has studied characteristics of alpha-type thionin and beta-type thionin, which are peptides derived from wheat and barley. To the best of the inventor's knowledge, no one has reported any antimicrobial activity of thionins against
Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris,
which is an acid-resistant and heat-resistant bacteria, while its antimicrobial activity against phytopathogenic fungi has previously been known (Plant Science, vol. 92, pp. 169 to 177, 1993). In addition, such thionins do not contain any special amino acid at all, unlike the above-mentioned nisin derived from lactic acid bacteria.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an antimicrobial agent with an enhanced degree of safety, which is derived from a natural product and exhibits growth-inhibitory activity against
Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris
, which has acid-resistance and heat-resistance and causes spoilage of fruit juice. Another object of the present invention is to provide a preservative for fruit juice, which comprises the antimicrobial agent described above.
In order to attain the above-mentioned objects, the inventor of the present invention has conducted intensive screening of antimicrobial substances against
Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris
from various agricultural crops, with the result that they found that alpha-type thionin and beta-type thionin, which are peptides of wheat and barley, exhibit growth-inhibitory activity against this bacteria. Thus, the inventor of the present invention has completed the present invention based on this finding.
Briefly, the present invention relates to an antimicrobial agent against acid-resistant and heat-resistant bacteria, characterized in that the antimicrobial agent contains as an effective ingredient alpha-type thionin and/or beta-type thionin.
Further, the present invention relates to a preservative for fruit juice, characterized in that the preservative contains as an effective ingredient alpha-type thionin and/or beta-type thionin.
REFERENCES:
Florack et al. Thionins: properties, possible biological roles and mechanisms of action. Plant Molecular Biology 26, 25-37 (1994).*
Molina et al. Inhibition of bacterial and fungal plant pathogens by thionins of types I and II. Plant Science 92, 169-177 (1993).
Director General of Shikoku National Agricultural Experiment Sta
Kam Chih-Min
Low Christopher S. F.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
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