Antibacterial Mechanism

     ε-PL is in high aggregation state of multivalent cations, which can damage the cell membrane structure of microorganisms, causing cell material, energy and information transmission interrupted. Its combination with the ribosomes within the cell affects the synthesis of biological macromolecules, eventually leading to cell death.

Safety

It had been approved by FDA for use as an antimicrobial agent in cooked rice or sushi rice at levels up to 50 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of rice. The results of an acute toxicity study and bacterial assays for mutagenicity show that ε-Polylysine was non-toxic and there was no evidence for mutagenic activity of ε-Polylysine. So ε-Polylysine is absolutely safe to be used as food preservative.

Range of Application

With features of solubility in water, good heat tolerance and extensive antimicrobial against fungi, ε- PL can be used under various conditions. A test for thermal stability and pH test using scope of ε-PL was carried out and the results are shown in Table 2 and Table 3

Table-2  Effect of temperature on the Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) of ε-Polylysine against Growth of Escherichia coil

Table 3  PH on ε-PL MIC

No Influence on Food Flavor

As a food preservative, ε-PL does not affect food flavor.  When added to food, ε-PL and dextran will have Maillard reaction after high temperature disinfecting because of its excellent

heat-resistance property. Not only can it maintain the effectiveness of antimicrobial, but also it has strong emulsifying properties, which is unacted whether the food is under circumstances of PH7 or 1 mol/L NaCl. Therefore, ε-PL as food additive has a dual function of emulsification

and fresh-keeping.