Microbial inhibitory properties of maltodextrin fatty acid esters against food-related microorganisms

Carbohydrate fatty acid esters (CFAs) are increasingly used to improve food quality and safety but may have limited applications due to their low aqueous solubility. The use of hydrophilic maltodextrin for the synthesis of CFAs results in compounds with high aqueous solubility, but knowledge of their microbial inhibitory properties is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbial inhibitory properties of maltodextrin fatty acid esters (MFAs) compared to commercial sucrose laurate (SL). Six different MFAs were synthesized from 2 different maltodextrins and 3 different vinyl fatty acids. Maltodextrin with a lower dextrose equivalent esterified with laurate had the highest inhibitory activity and a broader microbial inhibitory spectrum than SL, indicating a potential application in foods. Microbes susceptible to SL and MFAs showed morphological deformations observed by scanning electron microscopy and extracellular proteins released from cells, indicating compromised cell membranes.

Automated summary

This study found that maltodextrin fatty acid esters synthesized from maltodextrin with a lower dextrose equivalent have higher microbial inhibitory activity compared to commercial sucrose laurate, indicating potential application in foods. Microbes sensitive to both SL and MFAs showed damaged cell membranes and morphological deformations.