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1.What is Nisin?

Nisin (nisin A) is a polypeptide composed of 34 amino acids and belongs to class I bacteriocins. Bacteriocins are proteins/peptides naturally produced by bacteria to inhibit the growth of other bacteria. Nisin A is produced via fermentation by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis.

2.How is Nisin made?

There is a manufacturing process of commercial nisin preparation mentioned by EFSA, and the following are the brief flow chart: 1.Fermentation of a sugar-based medium with added yeast extract using the bacterium Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis. 2.Extraction of nisin concentration. 3.Spray dry: precipitated with sodium chloride and then through a spray-dried process. 4.Nisin preparation: standardized with sodium chloride to obtain a potency of 1,000 IU nisin A/mg.

3.How does it Work?

Nisin can inhibit the growth of a variety of food spoilage Gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria and Clostridium botulinum, and it is particularly effective against spores that gram-positive bacteria that produces. The main preservation mechanism of nisin is to bind to the anionic phospholipids (including lipid II) of the cell membrane and then inserted to the cell membrane. These processes can stop all biosynthetic processes in Gram-positive bacteria, and therefore kill Gram-positive bacteria. The impermeability to cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria makes it ineffective to it.

4.What is Silicon Dioxide used for?

There is a long history of using fermentation of lactic acid bacteria to preserve food. The inhibitory effects of lactic acid and other organic acids produced during the fermentation are fully recognized, but the antimicrobial effects of nisin produced in the metabolism of lactic acid bacteria metabolism are gradually discovered in later studies. Nisin can be used in cheeses, canned food, meat products to: 1.Prevent food spoilage by inhibiting the growth of Gram-positive bacteria & the spores and result in extending storage time. 2.Reduce food sterilization temperature & time and therefore reduce nutrition loss.