Antimicrobial and Antioxidative Activities of Phytic Acid in Meats

Phytic acid was purified from rice bran and applied to meats. Then, its antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were examined to investigate its availability as a food preservative. When Salmonella Typhimurium KCCM 11806 was cultivated in tryptic soy broth added with phytic acid, the growth of S. Typhimurium was completely inhibited at the concentration of 1% (w/v) phytic acid. Similarly, the growth of Escherichia coli O157:H7 was reduced by 3.0 log scale when 1% (w/v) phytic acid was added to the growth medium. When Salmonella Typhimurium was inoculated onto fresh chicken, fork, and beef supplemented with phytic acid followed by incubation at 37℃ for 24 hr, the antimicrobial activity of phytic acid was dependent on the concentration of phytic acid, and the growth of Salmonella Typhimurium was reduced by 3 log scale at 1% (w/v) phytic acid. When phytic acid was applied to the fresh chicken, fork, and beef, the growth of E. coli O157:H7 was reduced by 2.0 log scale at the concentration of 0.5% (w/v) phytic acid. Phytic acid also inhibited the growth of E. coli O157:H7 inoculated on cooked meats in a concentration-dependent manner. When fresh meats supplemented with phytic acid were stored at 4℃ for 3 days, TBARS (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances) values of fresh meats increased as the storage time increased, and decreased significantly at the concentration of 5 mM phytic acid, indicating that phytic acid has antioxidant activity.