Anoop Kumar Shee et al.

/ International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology

Vol. 2(3), 2010, 264-269

Studies on the antibacterial activity

potential of commonly used food
preservatives
Anoop Kumar Shee1, R.Balaji Raja2, Deepika Sethi1, Anushree Kunhambu1, Kantha D.Arunachalam3
1 Department of Biotechnology, SRM University, Kattankulathur 603203, Tamilnadu, India
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, SRM University, Kattankulathur 603203, Tamilnadu,
India
3 Professor, Directorate of research and virtual education, SRM University, Kattankulathur 603203,
Tamilnadu, India
Abstract
The efficacy of those food preservatives in terms of antibacterial activity potential has not been dealt with in an
elaborate manner. This study focuses on the quantitative antibacterial activity potential analysis of 2 food
preservatives namely salt and sugar on bacterial strains. The MH agar medium Petri plates were streaked with
mutton broth alone as the control and mutton broth with added food preservatives salt and sugar in separate
concentrations as test. The growth pattern on the agar medium plates was observed on 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th day.
The results showed that at the concentration of 2.5%, salt was able to contain the growth of bacterial strains till
the 3rd day and same concentration sugar was able to contain the growth of bacterial strains till the 5th day in the
MH agar plate. Salt was ineffective after the 3rd day and sugar was inactive after the 5th day.
Keywords: Antibacterial activity, salt, sugar, preservative

Introduction
Preservatives in foods
Preservative food additives can be used alone or in conjunction with other methods of food preservation.
Preservatives may be anti-microbial preservatives, which inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi, or
antioxidants such as oxygen absorbers, which inhibit the oxidation of food constituents. Common anti-microbial
preservatives include calcium propionate, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, sulfites (sulfur dioxide, sodium
bisulfite, potassium hydrogen sulfite, etc.) and disodium EDTA. Antioxidants include BHA and BHT. Other
preservatives include formaldehyde (usually in solution), glutaraldehyde (kills insects), ethanol and
methylchloroisothiazolinone. The benefits and safety of many artificial food additives (including preservatives)
are the subject of debate among academics and regulators specializing in food science and toxicology.
Natural food preservation
Natural substances such as salt, sugar, vinegar, and diatomaceous earth are also used as traditional preservatives.
Certain processes such as freezing, pickling, smoking and salting can also be used to preserve food. Another
group of preservatives targets enzymes in fruits and vegetables that continue to metabolize after they are cut.
For instance, citric and ascorbic acids from lemon or other citrus juice can inhibit the action of the enzyme
phenolase which turns surfaces of cut apples and potatoes brown. Caution must be taken, however, since FDA
standards do not currently require fruit and vegetable product labels to accurately reflect the type of preservative
used in the products. Further, there is no current regulation requiring the inclusion of preservative chemical in
labels at all; some potentially hazardous.
Health concerns
Some modern synthetic preservatives have become controversial because they have been shown to cause
respiratory or other health problems. Some studies point to synthetic preservatives and artificial coloring agents
aggravating ADD & ADHD symptoms in those affected. Older studies were inconclusive quite possibly due to

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inadequate clinical methods of measuring offending behavior. Parental reports were more accurate indicators of
the presence of additives than clinical tests. [3] Several major studies show academic performance increased and
disciplinary problems decreased in large non-ADD student populations when artificial ingredients, including
preservatives were eliminated from school food programs. Allergenic preservatives in food or medicine can
cause anaphylactic shock in susceptible individuals, a condition which is often fatal within minutes without
emergency treatment.
Every manufacturer adds preservative to the food during processing. The purpose is generally to avoid spoilage
during the transportation time. Because food is so important to survival, food preservation is one of the oldest
technologies used by human beings. Different ways and means have been found and improved for the purpose.
Boiling, freezing & refrigeration, pasteurizing, dehydrating, pickling are the traditional few. Sugar and salt are
also often used as preservatives. Nuclear radiation is also being used now. Modified packaging techniques like
vacuum packing and hypobaric packing also work as preservatives.
Chemical preservatives are also being used for quite some time now. They seem to be the best and the most
effective for a longer shelf life and are generally fool proof for the preservation purpose.
All of these chemicals act as either antimicrobials or antioxidants or both. They either inhibit the activity of or
kill the bacteria, molds, insects and other microorganisms. Antimicrobials prevent the growth of molds, yeasts
and bacteria and antioxidants keep foods from becoming rancid or developing black spots. They suppress the
reaction when food comes in contact with oxygen, heat, and some metals. They also prevent the loss of some
essential amino acids some vitamins
Some common preservatives and their primary activity
Chemical Affected Organism(s)

Action

Use in Foods

Sulfites

Insects & Microorganisms Antioxidant

Dried Fruits, Wine, Juice

Sodium Nitrite

Clostridia

Antimicrobial Cured Meats

Propionic Acid

Molds

Antimicrobial Bread, Cakes, Cheeses

Sorbic Acid

Molds

Antimicrobial Cheeses, Cakes, Salad Dressing

Benzoic Acid

Yeasts & Molds

Antimicrobial Soft Drinks, Ketchup, Salad Dressings

Salt
Salt is a dietary mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride that is essential for animal life, but toxic to
most land plants. Salt flavor is one of the basic tastes, and salt is the most popular food seasoning. Salt is also an
important preservative.
Salt for human consumption is produced in different forms: unrefined salt (such as sea salt), refined salt (table
salt), and iodized salt. It is a crystalline solid, white, pale pink or light gray in color, normally obtained from sea
water or rock deposits. Edible rock salts may be slightly grayish in color due to this mineral content.
Chloride and sodium ions, the two major components of salt, are necessary for the survival of all known living
creatures, including humans. Salt is involved in regulating the water content (fluid balance) of the body. Salt
cravings may be caused by trace mineral deficiencies as well as by a deficiency of sodium chloride itself.
Conversely, over consumption of salt increases the risk of health problems, including high blood pressure.
Role as food preservative
Salt is considered antibacterial because it restricts bacterial growth in many foods. It preserves foods by
lowering the amount of "free" water molecules in foods. Bacteria need moisture in order to thrive, so without
enough "free" water, they cannot grow well in foods that contain salt.

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Vol. 2(3), 2010, 264-269

Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline substances including sucrose, lactose, and fructose. Human taste buds
interpret its flavor as sweet. Sugar as a basic food carbohydrate primarily comes from sugar cane and from sugar
beet, but also appears in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple (in maple syrup), and in many other sources. It
forms the main ingredient in much candy. Excessive consumption of sugar has been associated with increased
incidences of type 2 diabetes, obesity and tooth decay.
Role as food preservative
Sugar was one of the earliest and remains one of the best food preservatives. Sweeteners are considered an
essential ingredient of most of the products of the canning industry, except vegetables. They act as preservatives
and maintain desirable appearance, flavor, color and body in the products. Altering the type and amount of sugar
in standardized preservation recipes will alter these characteristics. The principal sweeteners used in canning are
sugar (sucrose), and corn syrup. The noncaloric sweetener, saccharin, is found in dietetic foods. Aspartame and
Acesulfame K, noncaloric sweeteners, are approved for use in a limited number of foods.
Materials and methods
Bacterial growth inducing substrate
About 100 grams of packaged mutton meat was procured from a local super market and it was thoroughly rinsed
with distilled water. Then it was cut in to tiny pieces and made in to a paste. This meat paste was mixed with
nutrient broth making it vulnerable to microbial growth. The prepared mutton broth was left alone in a 37 C
incubator for 24 hours to facilitate the microbial growth in it.
Screening for antibacterial activity
After 24 hours the mutton broth was taken out of the incubator and divided in to 3 parts taking one as control,
2nd portion of the mutton broth was added with salt and the final portion was added with sugar. The addition of
the salt as well the sugar was done in a defined concentration, i.e. 2.5%. After the addition is done, the MH agar
medium Petri plates were prepared using standard method and 3 Petri plates were taken. To the 1st Petri plate,
only the plain mutton broth solution without any food preservative such as salt or sugar was inoculated by
simple streaking using an inoculation loop. This was taken as the control Petri plate. The mutton broth solution
having 2.5% of salt was streaked in the 2nd Petri plate and the mutton broth solution having 2.5% of sugar was
streaked in the 3rd Petri plate. Both were also done using the same simple streaking method with the help of an
inoculation loop. The microbial growth pattern in all the Petri plates were observed in 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th days.
The day to which the food preservative (salt/sugar) was able to contain the bacterial growth was observed.
Results and Discussion
The salt containing mutton broth solution which was streaked on the 2nd Petri plate showed resistance to
bacterial strains till the 3rd day, i.e. the colonies of bacterium were not formed when observation was done on 1st
day and the 3rd day. When the observation was done under a laminar flow during the 5th day, the colonies of
bacterium were clearly visible on the lines of the streaked path in the Petri plate. In case of the 3rd Petri plate
containing 2.5% of sugar, the colonies of bacterium were not formed when observation was done on 1st day, 3rd
day and the 5th day. When the observation was done under a laminar flow during the 7th day, the colonies of
bacterium were clearly visible on the lines of the streaked path in the Petri plate. The control produced colonies
of bacterium on the 1st day of observation itself.
The effect of 2.5% of salt lasted up to 3rd day whereas the effect of the same concentration of sugar in the
identical mutton broth solution lasted till the 5th day. The control had onset of the bacterial growth from the 1st
day itself proving that mutton broth solution used in the study had considerable bacterial growth inducement
potential. The study has inferred that for various cases sugar has got the better suitability in the preservative
category compared with the salt. The study can be extended to various commercially used preservatives in the
various canned and packed food items and their actual antibacterial efficacy.

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SALT
Just after Inoculation

Control

Test

Observations on 1st day

Control

Test

Observations on 3rd day

Control

Test

Observations on 5th day

Control

Test

Observations on 7th day

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Vol. 2(3), 2010, 264-269
Control

Test

SUGAR
Just after Inoculation

Control
Observations on 1st day

Test

Control
Observations on 3rd day

Test

Control
Observations on 5th day

Test

Control

Test

Observations on 7th day

Control

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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the management of SRM University, Chennai for providing the necessary infrastructure
to carry out this work.
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