Screening of phenolic antioxidants for their inhibitory activity against foodborne Staphylococcus aureus strains.
Seventeen phenolic compounds that are allowed to be used in the European food industry as aromatizants or antioxidants or that are naturally present in plants were tested for their ability to inhibit 19 strains of Staphylococcus aureus by using a standardized paper disc assay. Most of the strains assayed were foodborne (dairy and meat products). Human isolates and/or strains recommended for testing antimicrobial agents were also included in the study, and some of the test strains were enterotoxin producers. When the content was 200 microg/disc, various phenolic compounds had shown antimicrobial activity against all (hydroquinone, thymol, carvacrol, butylated hydroxyanisole, octyl gallate, and tannic acid) or most (gallic acid, propyl gallate, and ellagic acid) of the S. aureus strains tested. Significant differences in the inhibition zones (p < 0.05) among strains of the same, or similar, origin and among the different origins were observed for most of the phenolic compounds that showed antimicrobial activity for all or most of the strains tested.
Rúa
Javier
J
Department of Molecular Biology, University of León, Campus de Vegazana, León, Spain. javier.rua@unileon.es
Fernández-Alvarez
Laura
L
Gutiérrez-Larraínzar
Marta
M
del Valle
Pilar
P
de Arriaga
Dolores
D
García-Armesto
María Rosario
MR
D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000382:microbiology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D052978:Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Tests; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D005421:Flavoring Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005520:Food Preservatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology; D010636:Phenols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D034561:Sheep, Domestic / Q000382:microbiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D004768:Enterotoxins; D005421:Flavoring Agents; D005520:Food Preservatives; D010636:Phenols