Anti-Salmonella activity of (2E)-alkenals.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated the effect of a series of naturally occurring aliphatic (2E)-alkenals against Salmonella choleraesuis subsp. choleraesuis ATCC 35640 and evaluated their antibacterial action.


RESULTS
A homologous series of aliphatic (2E)-alkenals from C5-C13 were tested for their antibacterial activity against Salm. Choleraesuis. The antibacterial action of (2E)-alkenals against Salm. choleraesuis increases with increasing carbon chain length. (2E)-Dodecenal (C12) was the most effective against this food-borne bacterium with minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 6.25 microg ml-1 (34 micromol l-1), followed by (2E)-undecenal (C11) with an MBC of 12.5 microg ml-1 (77 micromol l-1). The activity was found to correlate with the hydrophobic alkyl chain length from the hydrophilic aldehyde group. The time-kill curve study showed that (2E)-dodecenal was bactericidal against Salm. choleraesuis at any growth stage.


CONCLUSIONS
The antibacterial activity of (2E)-alkenals against Salm. choleraesuis was found to correlate with the hydrophobic alkyl chain length. The conjugated double bond is not essential in eliciting the activity but is associated with increasing it.


CONCLUSIONS
Because of their easy availability and wide distribution in many edible plants, (2E)-alkenals can be used as anti-Salmonella agents.
Kubo
I
I
Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3112, USA. ikubo@uclink.berkeley.edu
Fujita
K
K
Nihei
K
K
Kubo
A
A
D000475:Alkenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012475:Salmonella / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors
D000475:Alkenes; D004202:Disinfectants