Foodborne human pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. are responsible for most recent foodborne bacterial outbreaks and illnesses in the U.S. Consumers and the food industry increasingly prefer natural antimicrobials over synthetic chemicals to control human pathogens due to concerns over the potentially adverse impact of synthetic compounds to human health and the environment. Sophorolipids, produced by a number of yeasts such as Candida bombicola, are a class of naturally derived glycolipid compounds composed of a disaccharide sophorose which is β-glycosidically linked to a long fatty acid chain. This presentation reviews recent developments in evaluating antimicrobial property of sophorolipids pertaining to the inactivation of foodborne human pathogens, factors affecting the antimicrobial efficacy and inactivation mechanisms. The potentials and limitations for commercial application of sophorolipids to enhance microbial food safety will also be discussed.

Antimicrobial activity of sophorolipids against foodborne pathogenic bacteria

254th National Meeting (2017)

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