title: The antimicrobial peptide aureocin A53 as an alternative agent for biopreservation of dairy products.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of aureocin A53, a staphylococcal antimicrobial peptide, for improving food safety.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The antimicrobial activity of aureocin A53 against strains of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from food was tested and the bacteriocin proved to be bactericidal and bacteriolytic against the listerial strains. Aureocin A53 was neither toxic to eukaryotic cell lines nor haemolytic against sheep erythrocytes. It also exhibited a remarkable stability during storage at different temperatures and sensitivity to both simulated gastric juice and bile salts. When the antibacterial activity of aureocin A53 (256 AU ml(-1) ) was tested in skimmed milk artificially inoculated with a L. monocytogenes strain (1·0 × 10(4)  CFU ml(-1) ) isolated from food, during storage at 4°C, the bacteriocin reduced the viable counts by 7·7-log10 units up to 7 days of incubation, when compared with the controls not treated with the bacteriocin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aureocin A53 exhibited several features considered important for biopreservation and remained fully active in a food matrix.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, the results confirmed that aureocin A53 has potential to be used as a food preservative, representing an alternative to the use of nisin in biopreservation of dairy products.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Fagundes
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Farias
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: O C S
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: N E M
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: J A S
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: da Paz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ceotto-Vigoder
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Alviano
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Virologia, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: M T V
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Romanos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: M C F
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bastos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005520:Food Preservatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D005520:Food Preservatives; D010455:Peptides; C469333:aureocin A53, Staphylococcus aureus
keywords: Listeria monocytogenes; aureocin A53; bacteriocin; biocontrol; biopreservative; dairy