Modifying Antifungal Peptides as Safe Food Preservatives.

ABSTRACT: Food loss and waste (FLW) constitute a major global concern with significant environmental and economic ramifications. A major cause of FLW is fungal contamination, leading to food spoilage. Here, we investigate the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as a new source for food preservatives to combat filamentous fungi and yeast contamination. Specifically, we focused on two model AMPs, BP100 and P-113, and their derivatives that were designed and synthesized as antifungal agents for food preservation. BP100 and P-113 were modified in order to enhance their efficacy. BP100 was modified by substituting its N-terminal lysine with tryptophan (i.e., BP100 K1W) to extend its hydrophobic α-helical side, and P-113 was extended by synthesizing the original sequence triplicated (i.e., P-113 Triple).

SUBMITTER: Simons E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12291464 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature