Danisco Uses AutoZone to Predict Efficacy of Bacteriocide in Foods

International food ingredients company, Danisco is now using an AutoZone, automated zone measurement system to reproducibly predict the efficacy of Nisaplin®, a natural bacteriocide which inhibits growth of pathogenic and food spoilage Gram positive bacteria in food.

Microbiologists at Danisco's Food Protection Division in Denmark liquidise different food samples containing Nisaplin®. They plate them out on 35cm glass plates of Iso-Sensitest Agar seeded with Micrococcus luteus. The Nisaplin® in the food produces 64 zones of inhibition on each plate, which scientists at Danisco can rapidly measure and analyse using the AutoZone system. From the zone size data, they can assess if the correct Nisaplin® levels are present in each food batch.

Malene Svejstrup, Application Scientist at Danisco explained: 'It is important to have the correct dosage of Nisaplin® in the foods we test. If it is too low, it could result in a reduced shelf life of the food. We have been manually measuring inhibition zones with callipers to test Nisaplin® levels for 25 years at Danisco. This method can introduce many variations and results can differ from person to person, which is why we are validating an automated zone sizer to determine if it is a good alternative.'

Mrs Svejstrup continued: 'To date, the system has generated promising results and we can measure the zones in half the time it used to take when we were performing manual measurements.'

Martin Smith of Synbiosis stated: 'Ensuring the quality of food is very important and we are excited that one of the world's most well known food ingredients companies has chosen to use an AutoZone to standardise a critical food test. Danisco's validation studies with the AutoZone show that microbiologists can save time, while achieving accurate and reproducible results, making the AutoZone an essential tool for testing the activity of bacteriocides in any food manufacturing facility.'