New Classes of Antimicrobials: Poly-Phenolic Branched-Chain Fatty Acids

Antimicrobials and preservatives have been used for decades by industry to enhance microbial safety and extend shelf-life. Unfortunately, many harmful microorganisms have developed resistance to existing antimicrobial compounds. Researchers have turned to synthetic chemistry to design new, efficient and environmentally friendly antimicrobials to solve this problem. A new class of synthetic antimicrobials, bio-based poly-phenolic branched-chain fatty acids, are composed of hydrophobic aliphatic long chains and biologically active hydrophilic phenolic regions. These materials are found to be more stable than the parent fatty acids and have antimicrobial activity superior to that of the parent natural phenolic compounds. The chemical synthetic method utilizes two streams of renewable resources to make these compounds. The molecular distillation method developed to purify them is straightforward and efficient.