title: Inhibition of Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. by fatty acids and their monoglycerides.
abstract: The antifungal activity of three fatty acids (lauric, myristic, and palmitic acids) and their monoglycerides (monolaurin, monomyristic acid, and palmitin, respectively) against Aspergillus and Penicillium species in a model system was investigated. Data were modeled through a reparameterized Gompertz equation. The maximum colony diameter attained within the experimental time (30 days), the maximal radial growth rate, the lag time (i.e., the number of days before the beginning of radial fungal growth), and the minimum detection time (MDT; the number of days needed to attain 1 cm colony diameter) were evaluated. Fatty acids and their monoglycerides inhibited mold growth by increasing MDT and lag times. The effectiveness of the active compounds seemed to be strain and genus dependent. Palmitic acid was the most effective chemical against aspergilli, whereas penicilli were strongly inhibited by myristic acid. Aspergilli also were more susceptible to fatty acids than were penicilli, as indicated by the longer MDT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agricultural Science, Foggia University, Via Napoli 25, 71100 Foggia, Italy. c.altieri@unifg.it
authors.forename: Clelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Altieri
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cardillo
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bevilacqua
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sinigaglia
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D002611:Cheese / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000592:standards; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D050178:Monoglycerides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010407:Penicillium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D005227:Fatty Acids; D050178:Monoglycerides