HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Monolaurin and Food Poisoning

Study Abstract

Monolaurin is a nontraditional antimicrobial agent that possesses better antimicrobial activities but causes no health problems to consumers, but the use of monolaurin in the food industry as a preservative is still limited. Using a microtiter plate assay, the minimum inhibitory concentrations for monolaurin were 25 μg/mL against Escherichia coli, 12.5 μg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus, and 30 μg/mL against Bacillus subtilis. The interaction with commonly used antimicrobials revealed that monolaurin and nisin acted synergistically against the test microorganisms, monolaurin in combination with sodium dehydroacetate or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid was synergistic against E. coli and B. subtilis but not S. aureus, and monolaurin combined with calcium propionate or sodium lactate showed no synergistic effects against any test microorganism. The interaction with food components revealed that the antibacterial effectiveness of monolaurin was reduced by fat or starch while the monolaurin activity remained unchanged in the presence of protein. This study contributes to a better understanding on the use of monolaurin as a nontraditional preservative in food products. Results from this study suggest the potential use of monolaurin as a nontraditional preservative in combination with commonly used antimicrobials, such as nisin, sodium dehydroacetate, or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and suggest that the antibacterial effectiveness of monolaurin may be reduced significantly in high-fat or low-starch food products.

From press release:

Monolaurin, an extract from coconut oil could be used as a microbial agent in foods, according to a study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists.

Monolaurin has been recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is known for its antimicrobial properties. If used in combination with other antimicrobial agents, monolaurin can present an effective barrier to microorganisms.

Researchers from Zhejiang University in China studied the use of monolaurin as a nontraditional preservative in food products by combining it with commonly used antimicrobials in various concentrations and testing it on bacterial strains including Esherichia coli and on food components such as soy protein and water-soluble starch. Researchers made the following findings:

•Monolaurin combined with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)，a binding agent, was effective against Esherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis but not Staphylococcus aureus.
•When combined with the antimicrobial nisin, monolaurin was synergistically effective against all three bacteria.
•Researchers studied monolaurin’s interaction with food components and found that its antibacterial effectiveness was reduced by fat or starch but was not affected by protein.

“These results contribute to a better understanding on the use of monolaurin as a nontraditional preservative for antimicrobial purpose in food products. The antimicrobial effects of monolaurin can be increased if used together or in combination with other preservative systems,” says lead researcher Hui Zhang.

Study Information

Hui Zhang, Hewen Wei, Yinan Cui, Guoqun Zhao, and Fengqin Feng.
Antibacterial Interactions of Monolaurin with Commonly Used Antimicrobials and Food Components
Journal of Food Science
2009 August
Zhang, Cui, and Feng are with Dept. of Food Science and Nutrition, Huajiachi Campus, Zhejiang Univ., Hangzhou 310029, China.