Enzymatic Synthesis of Fatty Acid Derivatives with Antimicrobial Activity and Their Use

Abstract

A possibility of decreasing the amount of synthetic preservatives in cosmetic products and foodstuffs is their replacement with fatty acids and their derivatives, which have shown a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. The fatty acid derivatives are biodegradable, odourless and tasteless. These surface-active compounds kill microorganisms by disrupting cell membranes. The aim of the project was to prepare fatty acid esters of fructose using enzymatic catalysis and to investigate their antimicrobial properties and activity in cosmetic products. Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Fusarium culmorum strains as well as fructose caprate, laurate, myristate and palmitate esters were used in testing. The obtained results indicate that the tested compounds strongly reduce the number of viable microorganisms or show a microbiocidal effect. The inhibitory activity decreased rapidly as their carbon chain length increased; fructose caprate proved to be the most active. The antibacterial effect of fructose caprate was investigated in a cosmetic oil in water emulsion. The obtained results also indicate that enzymatic synthesis is a potential alternative method for preparing fatty acid esters of sugars.