Amido nativo (AN) extraído das sementes de pinhão foi modificado por duas metodologias: hidrólise ácida (AHA) e ultrassom (AUS). As três amostras – AN, AHA e AUS - foram submetidas à secagem em spray dryer. Efetuaram-se análises de composição centesimal, características reológicas e morfologia por microscopia eletrônica de varredura. As moléculas de amido modificado por ondas ultrassônicas e por hidrólise ácida atingiram tamanho nanométrico, representando redução de aproximadamente 97% e 99,85%, respectivamente. As três amostras foram significativamente diferentes em relação ao teor de amido e amilose, ao percentual de sinérese e a colorimetria. A amostra AHA diferiu das demais em termos de solubilidade (mais solúvel), higroscopicidade (mais higroscópica) e claridade de pasta (mais translúcida). As amostras AN e AUS tiveram suas cargas aparentes modificadas com adição de anidrido succínico para a incorporação de nisina através da atração eletrostática. Alíquotas dessas amostras foram dispostas em placas com ágar BHI previamente inoculadas com Listeria monocytogenes. Estas foram mantidas em diferentes temperaturas, 4 e 37ºC. A avaliação da atividade antimicrobiana foi medida através do halo de inibição. As placas armazenadas a temperatura mais baixa apresentaram maior atividade no decorrer dos 21 dias quando comparadas as mantidas a 37ᵒC. Neste estudo pode-se observar que as modificações realizadas nas moléculas de amido pinhão atingiram escala nanométrica e que a incorporação de nisina na superfície destas foi eficaz, resultando na inibição da L. monocytogenes através da formação de halos de inibição. / Native starch (AN) extracted from the seeds of pinhão was modified by two methods: acid hydrolysis (AHA) and ultrasound (AUS). The three samples - AN, AHA and AUS - were subjected to spray drying. We carried out analyzes of chemical composition, rheological characteristics and morphology by scanning electron microscopy. The modified starch molecules by ultrasonic waves and by acid hydrolysis achieved nanosize, representing a reduction of approximately 97% and 99.85% respectively. The three samples were significantly different in four items: starch and amylose content, the percentage of syneresis and colorimetry. The AHA sample differed from the others in terms of solubility (more soluble), hygroscopicity (more hygroscopic) and paste clarity (more translucent). The samples of AN and AUS had their aparent charge modified with addition of succinic anhydride to incorporation of microspheres of nisin by electrostatic attraction. Aliquots of these samples were placed in Petri dishes containing BHI agar inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes. These were kept at different temperatures, 4 and 37 ° C. The antimicrobial activity was measured by the inhibition zone. The plates stored at lower temperature showed greater activity during the 21 days when compared with those maintained at 37 ᵒ C. In this study it can be seen that the nanomolecules with microspheres nisin showed antimicrobial activity lower than the molecules of pinhão native starch microspheres nisin, suggesting that they have low stability.

Amido nativo (AN) extraído das sementes de pinhão foi modificado por duas metodologias: hidrólise ácida (AHA) e ultrassom (AUS). As três amostras – AN, AHA e AUS - foram submetidas à secagem em spray dryer. Efetuaram-se análises de composição centesimal, características reológicas e morfologia por microscopia eletrônica de varredura. As moléculas de amido modificado por ondas ultrassônicas e por hidrólise ácida atingiram tamanho nanométrico, representando redução de aproximadamente 97% e 99,85%, respectivamente. As três amostras foram significativamente diferentes em relação ao teor de amido e amilose, ao percentual de sinérese e a colorimetria. A amostra AHA diferiu das demais em termos de solubilidade (mais solúvel), higroscopicidade (mais higroscópica) e claridade de pasta (mais translúcida). As amostras AN e AUS tiveram suas cargas aparentes modificadas com adição de anidrido succínico para a incorporação de nisina através da atração eletrostática. Alíquotas dessas amostras foram dispostas em placas com ágar BHI previamente inoculadas com Listeria monocytogenes. Estas foram mantidas em diferentes temperaturas, 4 e 37ºC. A avaliação da atividade antimicrobiana foi medida através do halo de inibição. As placas armazenadas a temperatura mais baixa apresentaram maior atividade no decorrer dos 21 dias quando comparadas as mantidas a 37ᵒC. Neste estudo pode-se observar que as modificações realizadas nas moléculas de amido pinhão atingiram escala nanométrica e que a incorporação de nisina na superfície destas foi eficaz, resultando na inibição da L. monocytogenes através da formação de halos de inibição. / Native starch (AN) extracted from the seeds of pinhão was modified by two methods: acid hydrolysis (AHA) and ultrasound (AUS). The three samples - AN, AHA and AUS - were subjected to spray drying. We carried out analyzes of chemical composition, rheological characteristics and morphology by scanning electron microscopy. The modified starch molecules by ultrasonic waves and by acid hydrolysis achieved nanosize, representing a reduction of approximately 97% and 99.85% respectively. The three samples were significantly different in four items: starch and amylose content, the percentage of syneresis and colorimetry. The AHA sample differed from the others in terms of solubility (more soluble), hygroscopicity (more hygroscopic) and paste clarity (more translucent). The samples of AN and AUS had their aparent charge modified with addition of succinic anhydride to incorporation of microspheres of nisin by electrostatic attraction. Aliquots of these samples were placed in Petri dishes containing BHI agar inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes. These were kept at different temperatures, 4 and 37 ° C. The antimicrobial activity was measured by the inhibition zone. The plates stored at lower temperature showed greater activity during the 21 days when compared with those maintained at 37 ᵒ C. In this study it can be seen that the nanomolecules with microspheres nisin showed antimicrobial activity lower than the molecules of pinhão native starch microspheres nisin, suggesting that they have low stability.

Batches of fromage blanc, a soft white cheese were prepared from whole pasteurized cow's milk. Processing and formulation methods were used in cheese making to reduce Listeria monocytogenes in artificially contaminated cheese. Treatments implemented included use of additional starter culture in formulation (25% more starter culture than original formulation), use of a higher temperature draining process (at 45oC instead of 22oC), addition of the anti-listerial bacteriocin nisin (Danisco Nisaplin) in formulation at different levels (125 ppm, 250 ppm, 400 ppm), and combinations of these treatments. Characteristics including pH, fat content, protein content, and color were evaluated for each treatment cheese. Statistically significant differences (p<0.0001) were found between the population (log CFU/g) values of L. monocytogenes in the different treatment cheeses and control cheese. Treatments using additional starter culture or higher temperature draining alone were not successful in significantly reducing numbers of L. monocytogenes, but when combined, a 1 log reduction resulted. Of the different concentrations of nisin used in cheese formulation, the level of 250 ppm nisin was used in combination treatments. The treatments using 250 ppm nisin were able to reduce numbers of L. monocytogenes by 2 log 24h after addition. Combination treatments with 250 ppm nisin and additional starter culture in formulation reduced the level of L. monocytogenes by only 1 log, while combination treatments coupling 250 ppm nisin with a higher temperature draining and treatments with 250 ppm nisin, additional starter culture, and a higher temperature draining were able to reduce the pathogen by 2 log. There were statistically significant (p<0.0001) differences found between cheese treatments for values of pH, fat content, and protein content. This soft cheese could be standardized for each of these parameters by the processor before packaging and sale of cheese. There were no statistically significant (p>0.05) differences found between colorimetric values for different cheese treatments. / Master of Science

Nisin, an amphiphilic, antimicrobial peptide, has been shown to integrate into the hydrophobic inner region of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) brush layers; however, the presence of integrated nisin may compromise the protein repulsive character of the PEO layer. In particular, the introduction of fibrinogen to nisin-loaded brush layers has been observed to cause changes consistent with partial elution of nisin and/or location of fibrinogen at the interface. Questions surrounding the possibility of fibrinogen adsorption warrant further investigation, as the location of procoagulant proteins at a peptide-loaded PEO layer would significantly reduce the viability of a medical device coating based on such an approach. In this work, the preferential location of fibrinogen at PEO brush layers was investigated by: detection of FITC-labeled fibrinogen after sequential introduction of nisin and labeled fibrinogen; measurement of changes in the zeta potential of PEO coated and uncoated surfaces following nisin, fibrinogen, and/or buffer challenges; and evaluation of adsorption and elution kinetics in label-free, sequential adsorption experiments using optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS). PEO layers were constructed through radiolytic grafting of Pluronic�� F108 or F68 onto silanized silica surfaces producing long-chain or short-chain PEO layers, respectively. Adsorption results indicated that sequential introduction of nisin and fibrinogen to PEO brush layers, based on F108, does not result in fibrinogen adsorption beyond that expected for a nisin-free PEO layer. No evidence of nisin entrapment in fibrinogen-repellent F68 layers was recorded. Low-level fibrinogen adsorption observed at F68 layers following the introduction of nisin was determined to be a result of nisin adsorption at (uncoated) defect regions on the surface. In conclusion, retention of PEO layer capacity for protein repulsion after nisin entrapment is owing to a steric repulsive barrier provided by PEO segments extending beyond the level of entrapped nisin. It was then hypothesized that the immobilized, pendant PEO chains will inhibit exchange of entrapped nisin by competing proteins, and therefore prolong nisin activity retention. In order to evaluate nisin function following its entrapment, the antimicrobial activity of nisin-loaded, F108-coated silica surfaces was evaluated against the Gram-positive indicator strain, Pediococcus pentosaceous. The retained biological activity of these nisin-loaded layers was evaluated after incubation in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA), for contact periods up to one week. Surfaces were withdrawn at selected times and placed on plates inoculated with P. pentosaceous to measure kill zone radius in order to quantify nisin activity. In the presence of BSA, F108-coated surfaces retained more antimicrobial activity than the uncoated, hydrophobic surfaces. These results strongly suggest that PEO brush layers may serve as a viable drug storage platform due to the retained non-fouling character after bioactive peptide entrapment and the prolonged peptide activity in the presence of other proteins. / Graduation date: 2013

No description available.

Chalkbrood, caused by Ascosphaera apis (Maassen ex Claussen) Olive & Spiltor, is a cosmopolitan fungal disease of honey bee larvae (Apis mellifera L.) for which there is no chemotherapeutic control. Using in vitro larval rearing methods, lysozyme-HCl, a food-grade antimicrobial extracted from hen egg albumen, was found to suppress chalkbrood at levels of 0.75-1.5% (g/mL) of larval diet. In field trials, lysozyme-HCl did not affect adult bee survival or brood production and did effectively suppress the development of chalkbrood disease. Daily chalkbrood mummy production decreased by a factor of 10 in colonies treated with three treatments of 6000 mg of lysozyme-HCl when compared with infected, untreated controls and reduced disease symptoms to levels observed in uninfected colonies. Honey production was also found to be significantly negatively correlated with increased disease severity. Lysozyme-HCl is a promising safe therapeutic agent for the control of chalkbrood in honey bee colonies.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 34-38). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-235). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-235). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.