Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity of a Natural Peptide, E-Poly-L-lysine
Kazuya Yamanaka, Reiko Kato, Hirotaka Furukawa and Masamichi Muto
Chisso Corporation Yokohama Research Center
Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Chisso America Incorporated
Rye, New York, USA
E-Poly-L-lysine (E-PL), produced by Streptomyces albulus, is a naturally occurring homo polymer (25-35 mer) characterized by an amide linkage between the carboxyl and -amino groups of L-lysine. -PL, shows an antibacterial activity, which is generally considered to be a result of the polycationic nature it shares with quaternary ammonium cationic surface-active agents. In addition, this natural compound is well known as a heat stable and effective in a wide range of pH conditions, and has a wide antimicrobial spectrum, including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, Yeasts and Molds. With a growing demands for a reduction in the widespread use of chemicals, much attention has focused on its safety and efficacy as a natural food preservative. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration indicated that they had no questions to the manufacture’s conclusions that the compound is generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Given the potential importance of the characterization of -PL as a food preservative, we have investigated its basic properties and applications in actual food applications. This presentation will discuss the antibacterial properties and effective usage in food products.
In 1997, Hirotaka Furukawa
joined Chisso Corp in Japan, which was the sole company producing
epsilon-polylysine commercially and had worked for development of new
manufacturing process and application of polylysine until 2001.