Changes in the Antibacterial Activity of Salmine during Its Maillard Reaction.

The influence of the Maillard reaction on the antibacterial activity of salmine was determined. A model system consisting of salmine sulfate (1g) and xylose (1.5g) in 10ml of distilled water (pH 5, 7, 9, or 11) was prepared and heated at 100°C for up to 60h to accelerate the Maillard reaction. The development of brown color was more pronounced in model systems with a higher initial pH value. It was revealed that the antibacterial activity of salmine increased at the beginning of the Maillard reaction. The minimum inhibitory concentration of salmine against Bacillus subtilis (IAM 1026) decreased to 75μg per ml of medium from 250μg as a result of the Maillard reaction. However, Gram-negative bacteria were not sensitive to either salmine or browned salmine. Browned salmine was bactericidal against B. subtilis, while salmine before the reaction seemed to be bacteri-ostatic. The addition of browned salmine to kamaboko at the level of 1% resulted in the elongation of its shelf-life at 5°C.