Thermal Destruction Kinetics of a Lactic Streptococcal Bacteriophage

The aim of the study was to elucidate the kinetics of thermal destruction of a lactic streptococcal bacteriophage, and to determine the effect of varied propagation and heating conditions on its thermoresistance. The propagation medium and temperature affect the degree of thermostability of the phage produced; higher incubation temperature enhances thermostability. The composition and reaction of the heating menstruum are also of significance. Phage thermoresistance increased significantly with the phosphate and whey levels. The effect of various minerals was difficult to resolve, mainly because of the bimodal nature of the survival curve. Thermoresistance was highest at pH 6, intermediate at pH 7, and lowest at pH 8. The kinetics of inactivation of this phage deviated from those of a first-order reaction. Consequently, a special treatment of the data was required in order to compute the various thermodynamic parameters that define the reaction. The high positive values of Q₁₀, energy of inactivation, and entropy appear to indict protein denaturation as the cause of phage destruction.     

Activity of Microorganisms in Acid Mine Water I. Influence of Acid Water on Aerobic Heterotrophs of a Normal Stream

Comparison of microbial content of acid-contaminated and nonacid-contaminated streams from the same geographical area indicated that nonacid streams contained relatively low numbers of acid-tolerant heterotrophic microorganisms. The acid-tolerant aerobes survived when acid entered the stream and actually increased in number to about 2 × 10³ per ml until the pH approached 3.0. The organisms then represented the heterotrophic aerobic microflora of the streams comprised of a mixture of mine drainage and nonacid water. A stream which was entirely acid drainage did not have a similar microflora. Most gram-positive aerobic and anaerobic bacteria died out very rapidly in acidic water, and they comprised a very small percentage of the microbial population of the streams examined. Iron- and sulfur-oxidizing autotrophic bacteria were present wherever mine water entered a stream system. The sulfur-oxidizing bacteria predominated over iron oxidizers. Ecological data from the field were verified by laboratory experiments designed to simulate stream conditions.     

Collapse and Color Changes in Grapefruit Juice Powder as Affected by Water Activity, Glass Transition, and Addition of Carbohydrate Polymers

Physicochemical and structural properties of grapefruit juice powder were investigated as affected by the addition of maltodextrins of two dextrose equivalent (DE) and gum arabic. Freeze-dried powdered juices were equilibrated at different vapor pressure atmospheres, giving samples with water activity between zero and 0.84. The mechanical properties of the powders were assessed by confined compression, and the compressed samples were subjected to color analysis. The maximum force attained during the compression and the color coordinates were related to water activity and glass transition temperature, and a single value of ΔT = T − T _g could be taken as the critical limit to the safe storage of the powders, regardless of their composition. The results indicated that from the perspective of the time at which deleterious changes would take place in powders stored at certain ambient conditions and exposed to certain rate of water uptake, the collapse of the powder would precede browning development.     

Multiple Effects of Viscosity,Water Activity and Glass Transition Temperature on Peroxidase Activity in Binary and Ternary Carbohydrate Solutions

The individual and combined effects of water activity (a_w), bulk viscosity and glass transition temperature (Tg’) on the activity of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in buffered sugars (glucose, trehalose and maltose) and maltodextrin solutions were investigated. Viscosity was the most important factor in the inhibition of HRP activity; however, when Tg’ was changed by the using solutes with different molecular weight, it became a key factor in the modulation of enzyme activity. Viscosity being equal, the sugar addition to maltodextrin solution lowered a_w and lowered Tg’ causing an increase of the enzymatic activity. Nevertheless, an inhibition of the HRP activity occurred when a_w values of 0.87 were reached due to the addition of glucose, which, among the tested sugars, showed the lowest molecular weight. Among disaccharides, maltose was more effective than trehalose in impairing the enzyme activity both in binary and ternary systems, and this is due to a non competitive biochemical inhibition exerted by this sugar on HRP. When compared to glucose, maltose and trehalose were more effective in reducing HRP activity only in the low viscosity range whilst in the high viscosity range (1–4 10^?6 m² s^?1) glucose, despite its lower Tg’ value, was slightly more efficient than disaccharides due to its a_w lowering effect.     

Direct Addition of Liquid Propylene Oxide to Dried Materials for Destruction of Salmonellae

Propylene oxide added in liquid form to dried materials (e.g., animal by-products) is highly effective for destroying salmonellae.     

Antimicrobial Activity of Propolis on Oral Microorganisms

Formation of dental caries is caused by the colonization and accumulation of oral microorganisms and extracellular polysaccharides that are synthesized from sucrose by glucosyltransferase of Streptococcus mutans. The production of glucosyltransferase from oral microorganisms was attempted, and it was found that Streptococcus mutans produced highest activity of the enzyme. Ethanolic extracts of propolis (EEP) were examined whether EEP inhibit the enzyme activity and growth of the bacteria or not. All EEP from various regions in Brazil inhibited both glucosyltransferase activity and growth of S. mutans, but one of the propolis from Rio Grande do Sul (RS2) demonstrated the highest inhibition of the enzyme activity and growth of the bacteria. It was also found that propolis (RS2) contained the highest concentrations of pinocembrin and galangin. Received: 8 June 1997 / Accepted: 7 July 1997     

Persistence of Denitrifying Enzyme Activity in Dried Soils

The effects of air drying soil on denitrifying enzyme activity, denitrifier numbers, and rates of N gas loss from soil cores were measured. Only 29 and 16% of the initial denitrifying enzyme activity in fresh, near field capacity samples of Maury and Donerail soils, respectively, were lost after 7 days of air drying. The denitrifying activity of bacteria added to soil and activity recently formed in situ were not stable during drying. When dried and moist soil cores were irrigated, evolution of N gas began, and it maximized sooner in the dried cores. This suggests that the persistence of denitrifying enzymes permits accelerated denitrification when dried soils are remoistened. Enzyme activity increased significantly in these waterlogged cores, but fluctuations in enzyme activity were small compared with fluctuations in actual denitrification rate, and enzyme activities were always greater than denitrification rates. Apparent numbers of isolatable denitrifiers (most-probable-number counts) decreased more than enzyme activity as the soils were dried, but after the soils were rewetted, the extent of apparent growth was not consistently related to the magnitude of N loss. We hypothesize that activation-inactivation of existing enzymes by soil O₂ is of greater significance in transient denitrification events than is growth of denitrifiers or synthesis of new enzymes.     

Estimation of the Hydrocarbon-Oxidizing Activity of Microorganisms

A method allowing microorganisms growing on substrates with low water solubility (oil, fuel oil, resins, and asphalthenes) to be isolated and counted was developed. The method makes it possible to estimate the oil-utilizing activity of each strain visually according to the decolorized zones formed during its growth on oil products. The sizes of these zones indicate which oil-degrading strains are most active.     

Modelling the Growth Limits (Growth/No Growth Interface) of Escherichia coli as a Function of Temperature, pH, Lactic Acid Concentration, and Water Activity

The form of a previously developed Bělehrádek type of growth rate model was used to develop a probability model for defining the growth/no growth interface as a function of temperature (10 to 37°C), pH (pH 2.8 to 6.9), lactic acid concentration (0 to 500 mM), and water activity (0.955 to 0.999; NaCl was used as the humectant). Escherichia coli was unable to grow in broth in which the undissociated lactic acid concentration exceeded 11 mM or, with two exceptions, at a pH of 3.9 or less with no lactic acid present. Under experimental conditions at which the pH and the undissociated acid concentrations were the major growth-limiting factors, the growth/no growth interface was essentially independent of temperature at temperatures ranging from 15 to 37°C. The interface between conditions that allowed growth and conditions at which growth did not occur was abrupt. The inhibitory effect of combinations of water activity and pH varied with temperature. Predictions of the model for the growth/no growth interface were consistent with 95% of the experimental data set.     

Occurrence and Activity of Microorganisms in Shrimp Waste

This study aimed to determine the occurrence and respiration activity of heterotrophic bacteria and fungi in shrimp shell waste and to evaluate the role of chitinolytic bacteria and fungi in its decomposition. The highest levels of bacteria were found in shrimp heads sections and the lowest in exoskeletons. The level of fungi was much lower, with the highest proportion present in heads sections and the lowest in exoskeletons. Chitinolytic bacteria constituted a small percentage of the total heterotrophic bacteria in fresh shrimp waste, averaging 4% in exoskeletons, 2.4% in all parts, and 2% in heads. No chitinolytic bacteria were detected in stored waste. In contrast, the percentage of chitinolytic fungi in shrimp waste was much higher than that of bacteria. Chitinolytic fungi constituted 25–60% of the total fungi in fresh waste and 15–40% in stored waste. Chitinolytic bacteria isolated from heads sections were characterized by the highest chitinolytic activity, averaging 11.2 nmol of methylumbelliferyl · mg⁻¹ protein · h⁻¹, whereas the lowest activity was in strains from exoskeletons, averaging 3.2 nmol of methylumbelliferyl · mg⁻¹ protein · h⁻¹. The chitinolytic activity of fungi isolated from all parts waste, head sections, and exoskeletons was similar. The respiration activity of microorganisms in fresh and stored waste was similar. Oxygen consumption activity increased during incubation and approached a saturation value between days 4 and 5. No correlation between the end value of respiratory activity in the analyzed section of shrimp discard after 5 days and the level of bacteria and fungi was observed. The only significant correlation observed was between the respiratory activity of the shrimp and the level of fungi. The respiration activity significantly depended on the analyzed section of shrimp discard (p < 0.000).     

Microorganisms as a source of tyrosinase inhibitors: a review

Tyrosinase is the main enzyme responsible for enzymatic browning of fruits post-harvest and melanogenesis in mammals, an undesirable phenomenon. This encouraged researchers to seek potent tyrosinase inhibitors for application in the food and cosmetics industries. Despite an increased knowledge of tyrosinase inhibitors from plants and synthetic sources in the past few years, inhibitors of microbial origin are under-explored. Thus, this article surveys tyrosinase inhibitors produced by microorganisms and hence, serves as an updated database of tyrosinase inhibitors from microbial sources.     

Proteolytic Activity of Microorganisms Isolated from Freshwater Fish

A raw fish-juice was prepared and sterilized through the use of (60)Co gamma-irradiation. It was evaluated for suitability in an agar medium for testing the proteolytic activity of bacteria isolated from fish. Microorganism proteolytic activity was also detected by conventional methods with skim milk-agar. We tested 1,145 isolates from fresh and spoiling irradiated (0.0, 0.3, and 0.6 Mrad) yellow perch fillets for proteolytic activity, by the use of both media. Most isolates that showed proteolytic activity exhibited this activity in both media. A few isolates showed proteolytic activity only in one medium or the other. Proteolysis was found mainly among bacteria isolated from nonirradiated perch fillets. Nonproteolytic organisms were slightly more abundant than were proteolytic ones throughout refrigerated storage (6 days); the latter constituted 48% of the total organisms. Irradiation eliminated essentially all proteolytic bacteria when the fillets were stored at 1 C. However, some proteolytic bacteria survived for a few days after irradiation when the fillets were stored at 5 C.     

Phyllosphere of Cotton as a Habitat for Diazotrophic Microorganisms

Positive nitrogenase activities ranging from 0.18 to 0.78 nmol of C₂H₄ cm⁻² h⁻¹ were detected on the leaf surfaces of different varieties of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. and G. herbaceum L.) plants. Beijerinckia sp. was observed to be the predominant nitrogen-fixing microorganism in the phyllosphere of these varieties. A higher level of phyllosphere nitrogen-fixing activity was recorded in the variety Varalaxmi despite a low C/N ratio in the leaf leachates. Leaf surfaces of the above variety possessed the largest number of hairy outgrowths (trichomes) which entrapped a majority of microbes. Immersion of plant roots in nutrient medium containing ³²P_i led to the accumulation of label in the trichome-borne microorganisms, thereby indicating a possible transfer of nutrients from leaf to microbes via trichomes. Extrapolation of acetylene reduction values suggested that 1.6 to 3.2 kg of N ha⁻¹ might be contributed by diazotrophs in the phyllosphere of the variety Varalaxmi during the entire growth period.     

Increased Water Activity Reduces the Thermal Resistance of Salmonella enterica in Peanut Butter

Increased water activity in peanut butter significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the heat resistance of desiccation-stressed Salmonella enterica serotypes treated at 90°C. The difference in thermal resistance was less notable when strains were treated at 126°C. Using scanning electron microscopy, we observed minor morphological changes of S. enterica cells resulting from desiccation and rehydration processes in peanut oil.     

Distribution of Yeast Cell Wall Lytic Activity among Microorganisms

An α-glucosidase has been isolated from the mycelia of Penicillium purpurogenum in electrophoretically homogeneous form, and its properties have been investigated. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 120,000 and an isoelectric point of pH 3.2. The enzyme had a pH optimum at 3.0 to 5.0 with maltose as substrate. The enzyme hydrolyzed not only maltose but also amylose, amylopectin, glycogen, and soluble starch, and glucose was the sole product from these substrates. The Km value for maltose was 6.94×10^?4 m. The enzyme hydrolyzed phenyl α-maltoside to glucose and phenyl α-glucoside. The enzyme had α-glucosyltransferase activity, the main transfer product from maltose being maltotriose. The enzyme also catalyzed the transfer of α-glucosyl residue from maltose to riboflavin.