Xiamen University's Mud Crab Peptide Sparadin118-140 Kills Pseudomonas Spoilage Bacteria and Extends the Shelf Life of Chilled Tilapia
Xiamen University researchers synthesized Sparadin118–140, a 23-residue helical peptide from the mud crab Scylla paramamosain, and found it killed three Pseudomonas species by disrupting their membranes, kept working at refrigeration temperature, and broke up biofilms. It also dampened inflammation caused by P. aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide in macrophages and zebrafish. On refrigerated tilapia fillets it slowed bacterial growth and spoilage about as well as the preservative potassium sorbate, according to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry paper.