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A study was conducted to determine the effects of sorbic acid and several derivatives of fatty acids (amides, aminimides, and monoglycerides) upon toxigenic cultures of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. A synthetic medium was inoculated with spores, incubated for 48 h at 27°C, and then supplemented with sorbic acid and fatty acid derivatives. Cultures were then incubated for an additional 5 days. Aflatoxins were extracted, separated, and quantitated. Mycelial mats were dried, weighed, and analyzed for lipid and mineral content. Cerulenin (8 μg/ml) was the most effective fatty acid derivative examined, reducing mycelial growth by 37% and completely inhibiting extracellular accumulation of aflatoxins. Other derivatives, in decreasing order of effectiveness, included M-20 (an aminimide), lauribic, and lauricidin. Mycelia grown in the presence of fatty acid derivatives contained less phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl serine, cholesterol, and triglycerides, but more cardiolipin, phosphatidyl choline, free fatty acids, fatty acid esters, and diglycerides. Levels of monoglycerides and cholesterol esters remained essentially unchanged. Inhibition by sorbic acid was nonspecific, affecting both mycelial growth and extracellular aflatoxin accumulation to approximately the same extent. Utilization of fatty acid derivatives for determining mechanisms of aflatoxin accumulation and lipid biosynthesis appears promising.

A sterile agar-meat was acidified with lactic acid and seeded with Staphylococcus aureus. Monolaurin (Lauricidin®), which is a GRAS emulsifier, caused both static and cidal effects on S. aureus 196E. When compared to potassium sorbate, Lauricidin® was slightly more active. The combination of sorbic acid and Lauricidin® (Lauribic™) gave a greater inhibitory effect than either of the substances alone. Inhibitory effects were greater on “anaerobic” than “aerobic” growth. These results indicate that monoglyceride emulsifiers like Lauricidin® alone or in combinations with other preservatives can be used in foods to create environments which are hostile to microorganisms.

Monolaurin alone and monolaurin with tert-butylhydroxyanisole (BHA), methylparaben, or sorbic acid were tested for in vitro virucidal activity against 14 human RNA and DNA enveloped viruses in cell culture. At concentrations of 1% additive in the reaction mixture for 1 h at 23°C, all viruses were reduced in infectivity by >99.9%. Monolaurin with BHA was the most effective virucidal agent in that it removed all measurable infectivity from all of the viruses tested. The compounds acted similarly on all the viruses and reduced infectivity by disintegrating the virus envelope.