Cereal Chem 66:491-493   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Influence of Alkylresorcinols from Rye and Related Compounds on the Growth of Food-borne Molds.

J. Reiss. Copyright 1989 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The influence of 5-n-alkylresorcinols (AR) from rye cultivar Halo (15-23 C atoms in the sidechain), 5- pentadecylresorcinol, and 4-n-hexylresorcinol on the growth of the bread molds Aspergillus parasiticus, A. versicolor, Penicillium chrysogenum, and P. roqueforti was studied. After five days of growth, the spreading of A. parasiticus and of P. roqueforti was reduced by 10 mg of AR per milliliter of agar medium, whereas the other molds were not influenced by this concentration. 5-Pentadecylresorcinol was totally inhibitory at 100 mg/ml and was nearly as active at 10 and 1 mg/ml as the corresponding levels of AR. The reduction in bread mold growth on rye bread as compared to wheat bread does not appear to result from the relative high levels of AR in rye. 4-n-Hexylresorcinol acted as a strong inhibitor at 1 mg/ml medium thus demonstrating its powerful antimicrobial properties.