Allyl Isothiocyanate Derived from Oriental Mustard Meal as a Natural Antimicrobial to Inhibit the Growth of Moulds on Bread

ALLYL ISOTHIOCYANATE DERIVED FROM ORIENTAL MUSTARD MEAL AS A NATURAL ANTIMICROBIAL TO INHIBIT THE GROWTH OF MOULDS ON BREAD Jianhua Ma Advisor University of Guelph, 2012 Dr. Keith Warriner This thesis is an investigation of the potential of Allyl Isothiocyanate (AITC) derived from oriental mustard meal (Brassica juncea meal) as a natural preservative suppression moulds growth on bread. Currently, clean labels and natural antimicrobial agents are interests of alternative preservatives. In this study, an antimicrobial sachet/patch containing B. juncea meal was developed to produce AITC vapour in situ; the efficacy of gaseous AITC/B. juncea meal on suppression of Penicillium spp. and other mould growth was investigated. The growth was completely inhibited for 28 days at 23 ̊C in the presence of 0.7-1.3 ppm AITC in the headspace (released from 50-100 mg B. juncea meal). Fifty mg mustard meal showed fungistatic activity, and ≥100 mg were fungicidal. The shelf life of sliced white bread (600 g) was prolonged for 14 days using 3g of B. juncea meal at 23 ̊C thereby illustrating the potential of AITC as an alternative to chemical preservatives.