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application of alternative food-preservation - Bentham Science

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84 Application <strong>of</strong> Alternative Food-Preservation Technologies D’Amato and Sinigaglia<br />

and canning systems. The bacteriocin nisin (or group N inhibitory substance), discovered in England by Rogers<br />

and Whittier in 1928, is produced by certain strains <strong>of</strong> Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis [5-7].<br />

Nisin belongs to a group <strong>of</strong> bacteriocins known as “lantibiotics” (class-I). Lantibiotics are relatively small<br />

peptides produced by Gram positive bacteria <strong>of</strong> different genera as reported in the Table 1.<br />

Table 1: Lantibiotics produced from different bacteria.<br />

Producer bacteria Lantibiotics<br />

L. lactis Nisin (A and Z), lactacin 481<br />

Lactobacillus sake Lactocin S<br />

Staphylococcus Pep 5, epidermin, gallidermin<br />

Streptococcus Streptococcin A-FF22, salivaricin Av<br />

Bacillus Subtilin, mersacidin<br />

Carnobacterium Carnocin U149<br />

Streptomyces Duramycin<br />

Micrococcus varians Variacin<br />

The lantibiotics are a group <strong>of</strong> post-translationally modified peptide antibiotics that characteristically have cyclic<br />

structures formed by the rare thioether amino acids lanthionine and 3-methyl-lanthionine and <strong>of</strong>ten also by<br />

dehydroalanine (Dha) and/or dehydrobutyrine residues [8]. Nisin was the first member <strong>of</strong> this group <strong>of</strong><br />

antibiotics.<br />

On the basis <strong>of</strong> their different ring structure, charge and biological activity, the lantibiotics are classified into two<br />

subgroups: type A (nisin type lantibiotics) constituted by elongated, amphiphilic peptides, and type-B (duramicin<br />

type lantibiotics) that are compact and globular. Nisin consists <strong>of</strong> 34 amino acids and is the only commercially<br />

accepted bacteriocin for <strong>food</strong> <strong>preservation</strong>. Its biosynthesis occurs during the exponential growth phase and stops<br />

completely when cells enter the stationary growth [9]. Nisin is a small (3.5 kDa) amphiphilic peptide that is<br />

cationic at neutral pH, having an isoelectric point above 8.5, and shares similar characteristics with other poreforming<br />

antibacterial peptides such as cationic peptides with a net positive charge and amphipathicity [5, 10]. It<br />

is overall positively charged (+4) and its structure possesses amphipathic properties; however, some structural<br />

properties make nisin rather special. Nisin is a ribosome-synthesized peptide characterized by intramolecular<br />

rings formed by the thioether amino acids lanthionine and 3-methyllanthionine [11, 12]. The structure <strong>of</strong> nisin,<br />

initially determined by chemical degradation [11] and confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)<br />

spectroscopy [13], is shown in Fig. 1; serine and threonine residues are dehydrated to become dehydroalanine<br />

and dehydrobutyrine. Subsequently, five <strong>of</strong> the dehydrated residues are coupled to upstream cysteines, thus<br />

forming the thioether bonds that produce the characteristic lanthionine rings.<br />

1<br />

Ile<br />

NH2<br />

Dhb<br />

COOH<br />

Ala<br />

Ile<br />

5<br />

Dha<br />

S<br />

Leu<br />

Ala<br />

Abu<br />

Pro<br />

Nisin A<br />

Lys Dha Val His Ile<br />

34<br />

30<br />

S<br />

Ala Lys Abu<br />

Ala<br />

Gly<br />

S Asn<br />

10<br />

20<br />

Met<br />

His<br />

S<br />

Lys<br />

Asn Ala<br />

Abu<br />

Ser Ala<br />

Abu Ala<br />

Figure 1: Structure <strong>of</strong> nisin. Dha, dehydroalanine; Dhb, dehydrobutyrine; Ala-S-Ala, lanthionine; Abu-S-Ala, β-methyllanthionine.<br />

Two naturally occurring nisin variants that have similar activities, nisin A and nisin Z, have been found [12, 14].<br />

Nisin A differs from nisin Z in a single amino acid residue at position 27, being a histidine in nisin A and an<br />

S<br />

Leu<br />

15<br />

Ala Met<br />

Gly<br />

25<br />

Gly

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