FOOD PROTECTION OF FRUIT, CEREAL AND VEGETABLE AND DERIVATIVES

Abstract

Food protecting agent composition having a pH of between 5.5 and 7.5 containing at least 2000 mg/l, preferably at least 1800 mg/l of a combination food protecting agent and guanidinium derivatives, particularly to combinations of oligo(2-(2-ethoxy)ethoxy ethyl guanidinium chloride), poly(hexamethylendiamine guanidinium chloride), polyetheramines, triethyleneglycol diamine, enzymes, PGPR, amino acids, antioxidants such as humic acids and some natural products like phytotherapeutic plant extracts.

The purpose of any pre-harvest plant protection program for fruit, cutflowers and vegetables (fruit and vegetables are selected from cereals, e.g. wheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, sorghum and the like; beets, e.g. sugar beet and fodder beet; pome and stone fruit and berries, e.g. apples, pears, plums, peaches, almonds, cherries, strawberries, raspberries and blackber leguminous plants, e.g. beans, lentils, peas, soy beans; oleaginous plants, e.g. rape, mustard, poppy, olive, sunflower, coconut, castor-oil plant, cocoa, ground-nuts; cucurbitaceae, e.g. pumpkins, gherkins, melons, cucumbers, squashes; fibrous plants, e.g. cotton, flax, hemp, jute; citrus fruit, e.g. orange, lemon, grapefruit, mandarin; tropical fruit, e.g. papaya, passion fruit, mango, carambola, pineapple, banana; vegetables, e.g. spinach, lettuce, asparagus, brassicaceae such as cabbages and turnips, carrots, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, hot and sweet peppers; laurel-like plants, e.g. avocado, cinnamon, camphor tree; or plants such as maize, tobacco, nuts, coffee, sugar-cane, tea, grapevines, hops, rubber plants, as well as ornamental plants, e.g. cutflowers, roses, gerbera and flower bulbs, shrubs, deciduous trees and evergreen trees such as conifers) is to prevent the development of diseases that might impair the final quality of the fruit, cutflowers and vegetables and to obtain adequate production yields. The system for post-harvest application of plant protection products on fruit, cutflowers and vegetables during packing aims to safeguard the health of the fruit and vegetables during the period of storage and transport to the final consumer. Since, moreover, the environmental and economic requirements imposed on modern-day fungicides are continually increasing, with regard, for example, to the spectrum of activity, toxicity, selectivity, application rate, formation of residues, and favorable preparation ability, and since, furthermore, there may be problems, for example, with resistances developing to known active compounds, a constant task is to develop new fungicide agents which in some areas at least have advantages over their known counterparts. Therefore, there is still a need to find and/or develop other bacterial, viral and fungicides for storage disease control. Some of the chemical as such are already known. It is also known, that these compounds can be used as more healthy and applicable material.

Claims

1. Food protecting agent composition characterised in that it contains at least 2000 mg/l, preferably at least 1500 mg/l, more preferably at least 1000 mg/l, even of a combination guanidinium derivatives, particularly to combinations of oligo(2-(2-ethoxy)ethoxy ethyl guanidinium chloride), poly(hexamethylendiamine guanidinium chloride), enzymes, PGPR, amino acids, antioxidants such as humic acids and some natural products like phytotherapeutic plant extracts.

2. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the guaninidium compound is oligo(2-(2-ethoxy)ethoxy ethyl guanidinium chloride).

3. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the guaninidium compound is poly(hexamethylendiamine guanidiniumchloride).

4. Fruit, cereal and vegetable protecting composition according to claim 1 characterised in that it has a pH of between 5.5 and 7.5.

5. Fruit, cereal and vegetable protecting composition according to claim 2 characterised in that it is selected within the group consisting in plant, and plant products and derivatives such as bread, beverages, fruit, cereal, vegetable brine, fruit and vegetable preserves.

6. Fruit, cereal and vegetable protecting composition according to claim 3 characterised in that the food product is a bread.

7. Fruit, cereal and vegetable protecting composition according to claim 3 characterised in that the food product is a beverage.

8. Fruit, cereal and vegetable protecting composition according to claim 3 characterised in that the food product is vegetable and vegetable brein and preserves.

9. Fruit, cereal and vegetable protecting composition according to claim 3 characterised in that the food product is mushroom.

10. Fruit, cereal and vegetable protecting composition according to claim 3 characterised in that the food product is dry vegetable and fruit.

11. Food protecting composition according to claim 3 characterised in that the food product is fruit and vegetable juice.

12. Food protecting composition according to claim 3 characterised in that the food product is food protecting composition.

13. The composition of claim 1, wherein the food protecting composition is a PGPR, Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria, said biological agent is an antibody selected from the group consisting of Acinetobacter, Achromobacter, Aereobacter, Agrobacterium, Alcaligenes, Artrobacter, Azospirillum, Serratia, Bacillus, Burkholderia, Enterobacter, Erwinia, Flavobacterium, Microccocus, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium ve Xanthomonas.

14. The composition of claim 1, wherein the antioxidant is humic acid leached from leonardite ore and its sodium/potassium salts.

15. The composition of claim 1, wherein amino acids are from a group of L-cysteine, and L-arginine.

16. The composition of claim 1, wherein enzymes are from a group glutaminase, Arginine decarboxylase, histidine decarboxylase (Lactobacillus), and carboxypeptidase.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein herbal plants are Aniseed (Anisi fructus), Barbados Aloes (Aloe barbadensis), Bearberry leaf (Uvae ursi folium), Bilberry Fruit (Myrtilli fructus), Birch Leaf (Betulae folium), Black Cohosh (Cimicifugae rhizoma), Black Currant Leaf (Ribis nigri folium), Black Horehound (Ballotae nigrae herba), Bogbean leaf (Menyanthidis trifoliatae folium), Burdock Root (Arctii radix), Butcher's Broom (Rusci rhizome), Cape Aloes (Aloe capensis), Cascara (Rhamni purshianae cortex), Centaury(Centaurii herba), Clove oil (Caryophylli aetheroleum), Cola (Colae semen), Comfrey root (Symphyti radix), Couch Grass Rhizome (Graminis rhizoma), Elder flower (Sambuci flos), Feverfew (Tanaceti parthenii herba), Frangula Bark (Frangulae cortex), Gentian Root (Gentianae radix), Grindelia (Grindeliae herba), Hamamelis bark (Hamamelidis cortex), Hamamelis leaf (Hamamelidis folium), Hamamelis water (Hamamelidis aqua), Hydrastis rhizoma (Goldenseal rhizome), Ispaghula Husk (Plantaginis ovatae testa), Java Tea (Orthosiphonis folium), Lady's Mantle (Alchemillae herba), Linseed (Lini semen), Mallow Flower (Malvae flos), Meadowsweet (Filipendulae ulmariae herba), Melissa leaf (Melissae folium), Myrrh (Myrrha), Mullein flower (Verbasci flos), Nettle Root (Urticae radix), Pelargonium Root (Pelargonii radix), Psyllium Seed (Psylli semen), Restharrow Root (Ononidis radix), Rhatany Root (Ratanhiae radix), Ribwort Plantain leaf/herb (Plantaginis lanceolatae folium/herba), Sage Leaf, Trilobed (Salviae trilobae folium), Tormentil (Tormentillae rhizoma), White Horehound (Marrubii herbal), Wild Pansy (Violae herba cum flore), Wild Thyme (Serpylli herba), Willow Bark (Salicis cortex).

18. The composition of claim 1, wherein natural products are polyphenols such as EGCG, resveratrol, curcumin, and genistein.

19. The composition of claim 1, wherein it contains cephamine and dopamine.

20. The composition of claim 1, wherein it contains cyclic oligosaccharide, preferably β-cyclodextrin or γ-cyclodextrin.

21. The composition of claim 1, wherein it contains the vitamins or a group of them, preferably Vitamin A, C, and D.

22. The composition of claim 1, characterized in that diseases are caused by Fusarium semitectum, Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum; Verticillium spp., e.g. Verticillium theobromae; Nigrospora spp.; Botrytis spp., e.g. Botrytis cinerea; Geotrichum spp., e.g. Geotrichum candidum; Phomopsis spp., Phomopsis natalensis; Diplodia spp., e.g. Diplodia citri; Alternaria spp., e.g. Alternaria citri, Alternaria alternata; Phytophthora spp., e.g. Phytophthora citrophthora, Phytophthora fragariae, Phytophthora cactorum, Phytophthora parasitica; Septoria spp., e.g. Septoria depressa; Mucor spp., e.g. Mucor piriformis; Monilinia spp., e.g. Monilinia fructigena, Monilinia laxa; Venturia spp., e.g. Venturia inaequalis, Venturia pyrina; Rhizopus spp., e.g. Rhizopus stolonifer, Rhizopus oryzae; Glomerella spp., e.g. Glomerella cingulata; Sclerotinia spp., e.g. Sclerotinia fruiticola; Ceratocystis spp., e.g. Ceratocystis paradoxa; Penicillium spp., e.g. Penicillium funiculosum, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum; Gloeosporium spp., e.g. Gloeosporium album, Gloeosporium perennans, Gloeosporium fructi genum, Gloeosporium singulata; Phlyctaena spp., e.g. Phlyctaena vagabunda; Cylindrocarpon spp., e.g. Cylin drocarpon mali; Stemphyllium spp., e.g. Stemphyllium vesicarium; Phacydiopycnis spp., e.g. Phacydiopycnis malirum; Thielaviopsis spp., e.g. Thielaviopsis paradoxy; Aspergillus spp., e.g. Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus carbonarius; Nectria spp., e.g. Nectria galligena; Pezicula spp., Escherichia Coli, Enterobacter sakazakii, Salmonella, pseudomonas, escheria coli, entereobacter aerogenes, coliform, legionalla, and Campylobacter.

23. The composition of claim 1 characterized in that fruit and vegetables are selected from cereals, e.g. wheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, sorghum and the like; beets, e.g. sugar beet and fodder beet; pome and stone fruit and berries, e.g. apples, pears, plums, peaches, almonds, cherries, strawberries, raspberries and blackber leguminous plants, e.g. beans, lentils, peas, soy beans; oleaginous plants, e.g. rape, mustard, poppy, olive, sunflower, coconut, castor-oil plant, cocoa, ground-nuts; cucurbitaceae, e.g. pumpkins, gherkins, melons, cucumbers, squashes; fibrous plants, e.g. cotton, flax, hemp, jute; citrus fruit, e.g. orange, lemon, grapefruit, mandarin; tropical fruit, e.g. papaya, passion fruit, mango, carambola, pineapple, banana; vegetables, e.g. spinach, lettuce, asparagus, brassicaceae such as cabbages and turnips, carrots, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, hot and sweet peppers; laurel-like plants, e.g. avocado, cinnamon, camphor tree; or plants such as maize, tobacco, nuts, coffee, sugar-cane, tea, grapevines, hops, rubber plants, as well as ornamental plants, e.g. cutflowers, roses, gerbera and flower bulbs, shrubs, deciduous trees and evergreen trees such as conifers.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038] The present invention relates to methods for the protection of harvested fruits, cutflowers or vegetables against decay caused by certain storage diseases or disorders expressed in storage conditions, which fruits, cutflowers or vegetables have been treated pre-harvest with combinations of oligo(2-(2-ethoxy)ethoxy ethyl guanidinium chloride), poly(hexamethylendiamine guanidinium chloride), polyetheramines, triethyleneglycol diamine, enzymes, PGPR, amino acids, antioxidants such as humic acids and some natural products like phytotherapeutic plant extracts.

[0039] Food protecting agent composition having a pH of between 5.5 and 7.5 containing at least 2000 mg/l, preferably at least 1800 mg/l of a combination food protecting agent and guanidinium derivatives, particularly to combinations of oligo(2-(2-ethoxy)ethoxy ethyl guanidinium chloride), poly(hexamethylendiamine guanidinium chloride), polyetheramines, triethyleneglycol diamine, enzymes, PGPR, amino acids, antioxidants such as humic acids and some natural products like phytotherapeutic plant extracts.

[0040] The purpose of any pre-harvest plant protection program for fruit, cutflowers and vegetables is to prevent the development of diseases that might impair the final quality of the fruit, cutflowers and vegetables and to obtain adequate production yields. The system for post-harvest application of plant protection products on fruit, cutflowers and vegetables during packing aims to safeguard the health of the fruit and vegetables during the period of storage and transport to the final consumer. Since, moreover, the environmental and economic requirements imposed on modern-day fungicides are continually increasing, with regard, for example, to the spectrum of activity, toxicity, selectivity, application rate, formation of residues, and favorable preparation ability, and since, furthermore, there may be problems, for example, with resistances developing to known active compounds, a constant task is to develop new fungicide agents which in some areas at least have advantages over their known counterparts. Therefore, there is still a need to find and/or develop other bacterial, viral and fungicides for storage disease control. Some of the chemical as such are already known. It is also known, that these compounds can be used as more helaty and appliceable material.

[0041] This invention relates to the use of an antibacterial agent against gram-negative bacterial pathogens in foods. Further, said antibacterial agent is in particular used against bacteria and bacteria from the genus Fusarium spp., e.g. Fusarium semitectum, Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum; Verticillium spp., e.g. Verticillium theobromae; Nigrospora spp.; Botrytis spp., e.g. Botrytis cinerea; Geotrichum spp., e.g. Geotrichum candidum; Phomopsis spp., Phomopsis natalensis; Diplodia spp., e.g. Diplodia citri; Alternaria spp., e.g. Alternaria citri, Alternaria alternata; Phytophthora spp., e.g. Phytophthora citrophthora, Phytophthora fragariae, Phytophthora cactorum, Phytophthora parasitica; Septoria spp., e.g. Septoria depressa; Mucor spp., e.g. Mucor piriformis; Monilinia spp., e.g. Monilinia fructigena, Monilinia laxa; Venturia spp., e.g. Venturia inaequalis, Venturia pyrina; Rhizopus spp., e.g. Rhizopus stolonifer, Rhizopus oryzae; Glomerella spp., e.g. Glomerella cingulata; Sclerotinia spp., e.g. Sclerotinia fruiticola; Ceratocystis spp., e.g. Ceratocystis paradoxa; Penicillium spp., e.g. Penicillium funiculosum, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum; Gloeosporium spp., e.g. Gloeosporium album, Gloeosporium perennans, Gloeosporium fructi genum, Gloeosporium singulata; Phlyctaena spp., e.g. Phlyctaena vagabunda; Cylindrocarpon spp., e.g. Cylin drocarpon mali; Stemphyllium spp., e.g. Stemphyllium vesicarium; Phacydiopycnis spp., e.g. Phacydiopycnis malirum; Thielaviopsis spp., e.g. Thielaviopsis paradoxy; Aspergillus spp., e.g. Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus carbonarius; Nectria spp., e.g. Nectria galligena; Pezicula spp., Escherichia Coli, Enterobacter sakazakii, Salmonella, pseudomonas, escheria coli, entereobacter aerogenes, coliform, legionalla, and Campylobacter in food. Conventionally, bacterial growth in food is controlled and/or prevented by means of pH regulation, water activity control, addition of quality preserving agents as e.g. nitrite and/or using various processing techniques as for example heat treatment, irradiation or high-pressure treatment. However, when controlling gram negative bacterial pathogens the above-described measures are often either insufficient, undesirable or not suitable for the type of food. For instance, controlling the water activity in products is possible by means of e.g. salt addition. Controlling or preventing bacterial growth in products by means of salt addition however requires high salt concentrations. Some of the study result shows that high concentrations often lead to a loss of taste because the product becomes too salty and not applicable. Further, a too high salt dosage is also not desired with respect to health issues as for example heart and vascular diseases or blood pressure. Furthermore, in protein-containing products as for example mushroom said high salt concentrations may lead to deterioration of the texture of the product. As gram-negative bacterial pathogens and some fungie such as Fusarium semitectum, Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum; Verticillium spp., e.g. Verticillium theobromae; Nigrospora spp.; Botrytis spp., e.g. Botrytis cinerea; Geotrichum spp., e.g. Geotrichum candidum; Phomopsis spp., Phomopsis natalensis; Diplodia spp., e.g. Diplodia citri; Alternaria spp., e.g. Alternaria citri, Alternaria alternata; Phytophthora spp., e.g. Phytophthora citrophthora, Phytophthora fragariae, Phytophthora cactorum, Phytophthora parasitica; Septoria spp., e.g. Septoria depressa; Mucor spp., e.g. Mucor piriformis; Monilinia spp., e.g. Monilinia fructigena, Monilinia laxa; Venturia spp., e.g. Venturia inaequalis, Venturia pyrina; Rhizopus spp., e.g. Rhizopus stolonifer, Rhizopus oryzae; Glomerella spp., e.g. Glomerella cingulata; Sclerotinia spp., e.g. Sclerotinia fruiticola; Ceratocystis spp., e.g. Ceratocystis paradoxa; Penicillium spp., e.g. Penicillium funiculosum, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum; Gloeosporium spp., e.g. Gloeosporium album, Gloeosporium perennans, Gloeosporium fructi genum, Gloeosporium singulata; Phlyctaena spp., e.g. Phlyctaena vagabunda; Cylindrocarpon spp., e.g. Cylin drocarpon mali; Stemphyllium spp., e.g. Stemphyllium vesicarium; Phacydiopycnis spp., e.g. Phacydiopycnis malirum; Thielaviopsis spp., e.g. Thielaviopsis paradoxy; Aspergillus spp., e.g. Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus carbonarius; Nectria spp., e.g. Nectria galligena; Pezicula spp., Escherichia Coli, Enterobacter sakazakii, Salmonella, pseudomonas, escheria coli, entereobacter aerogenes, coliform, legionalla, and Campylobacter are notoriously present in protein-containing products such as mushroom, cheese etcetera, controlling the water activity is often not a viable solution. Also pH regulation of the pH as means for controlling bacterial growth can cause loss of taste of the product and/or loss of texture of the product, especially in protein-rich food. Furthermore, some gram-negative pathogenic bacteria are relatively insensitive to acid addition. For instance growth of Campylobacter bacteria and Salmonella bacteria can be stopped at a pH lower than respectively 4.0 and 3.8, which pH is for some food applications undesirable because of its effect on taste, texture and not convenient appliceable methods.

[0042] Nitrite is added in cured meat (including poultry and fish) applications for the purpose of preserving product quality. Nitrite is able to stop bacterial growth of some types of bacteria as for example Clostridium. In some cases nitrite is added as colouring agent to maintain a certain colour in the meat product. Due to this colouring effect of nitrite it is not desirable for all meat applications. Examples of uncured, not nitrite-containing, product applications are (German) sausages, chicken and turkey meat and roast beef. As mentioned above, especially gram-negative bacterial pathogens are often present in these food products. At present legislation is aimed at minimisation of the use of nitrite in food applications. It goes without saying that processing techniques as for example heat treatment, irradiation or high-pressure treatment as method for preservation of products is not always applicable to food applications such as salads and other vegetable products due to processing spreed, costs, consumer preference and influence on the texture and/or taste.

[0043] Thus, said above-mentioned methods of salt addition, pH regulation, nitrite addition and processing techniques as e.g. heat treatment are not always satisfactory for the purpose of preservation of foods, especially when controlling gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Accordingly, the preservation of protein-containing food products, pH sensitive food products and refrigerated food products such salads and other vegetable products, dried foods and convenient foods as e.g. ready-to-eat meals, and especially mushroom products still proves to be a problem, especially if the food product needs to be protected against food poisoning as consequences of e.g. temperature-abuse and/or contamination of food. It is known that one of the most important causes of food poisoning is contamination due to incorrect handling of food products. Furthermore, products are often stored at improper conditions. Temperature-abuse (e.g. incidental storage at high temperature) can cause the in the product already present but inactivated bacteria to grow again resulting in food poisoning by pathogenic bacteria. The invention provides an effective alternative to overcome the above-mentioned problems in preservation of foods against food poisoning and further provides a means for fighting food poisoning by pathogenic bacteria of food and products due to e.g. temperature-abuse and/or contamination due to e.g. improper handling and/or improper preparation. It is known that combinations of oligo(2-(2-ethoxy)ethoxy ethyl guanidinium chloride), poly(hexamethylendiamine guanidinium chloride), polyetheramines, triethyleneglycol diamine, enzymes, PGPR, amino acids, antioxidants such as humic acids and some natural products like phytotherapeutic plant extracts can be used to prevent growth of bacteria which cause food spoilage, also called putrefaction. Normally these are lactic acid bacteria, i.e. gram-positive bacteria. When food is spoiled, the taste and/or its appearance is affected, but the consumers health is not at stake. The present invention, however, is directed to the prevention of food poisoning. Food poisoning is caused by gram-negative bacterial pathogens and fungie such as Fusarium semitectum, Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum; Verticillium spp., e.g. Verticillium theobromae; Nigrospora spp.; Botrytis spp., e.g. Botrytis cinerea; Geotrichum spp., e.g. Geotrichum candidum; Phomopsis spp., Phomopsis natalensis; Diplodia spp., e.g. Diplodia citri; Alternaria spp., e.g. Alternaria citri, Alternaria alternata; Phytophthora spp., e.g. Phytophthora citrophthora, Phytophthora fragariae, Phytophthora cactorum, Phytophthora parasitica; Septoria spp., e.g. Septoria depressa; Mucor spp., e.g. Mucor piriformis; Monilinia spp., e.g. Monilinia fructigena, Monilinia laxa; Venturia spp., e.g. Venturia inaequalis, Venturia pyrina; Rhizopus spp., e.g. Rhizopus stolonifer, Rhizopus oryzae; Glomerella spp., e.g. Glomerella cingulata; Sclerotinia spp., e.g. Sclerotinia fruiticola; Ceratocystis spp., e.g. Ceratocystis paradoxa; Penicillium spp., e.g. Penicillium funiculosum, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum; Gloeosporium spp., e.g. Gloeosporium album, Gloeosporium perennans, Gloeosporium fructi genum, Gloeosporium singulata; Phlyctaena spp., e.g. Phlyctaena vagabunda; Cylindrocarpon spp., e.g. Cylin drocarpon mali; Stemphyllium spp., e.g. Stemphyllium vesicarium; Phacydiopycnis spp., e.g. Phacydiopycnis malirum; Thielaviopsis spp., e.g. Thielaviopsis paradoxy; Aspergillus spp., e.g. Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus carbonarius; Nectria spp., e.g. Nectria galligena; Pezicula spp., Escherichia Coli, Enterobacter sakazakii, Salmonella, pseudomonas, escheria coli, entereobacter aerogenes, coliform, legionalla, and Campylobacter was said that pathogens produce toxine and/or cause infections.