Screening, Isolation, and Identification of Food-originated Compounds Enhancing the Ice-nucleation Activity of Xanthomonas campestris

Abstract

Some foods from plant sources, particularly of Moringeceae origin, contained compounds that enhanced bacterial ice-nucleation activity. A hot water extract from mustard seeds was so potent in its enhancing activity that the compounds responsible could be isolated from the seeds as yellow crystals. By instrumental analyses, this enhancer was identified as 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetic acid. The addition of a purified preparation of this compound at 0.1-1ppm to the cultivation medium for Xanthomonas campestris was effective for enhancing its ice-nucleation activity.