Event: SEA-PHAGES Symposium
Date of Presentation: 06/05/2019
Type of Presentation: Poster presentation
Title: A Study of the Effect of Glucose on Microbacteriophage Stability
Abstract: The relationship between sugars and bacteriophages has readily been seen in the dairy industry and in food transport. Because phages are so important to industries utilizing glucose products, it is important to study the effects that varying glucose concentrations may have on a phage’s ability to infect bacteria and reproduce. One area in which phages could be utilized is lyophilization, the process of freeze-drying items for preservation. This is mostly used in transporting perishable foods. Disaccharides are typically used as lyoprotectants due to their ability to stabilize proteins via hydrogen bonding, replacing the water molecules, and slowing protein denaturation.Phages are also desired to be used to control Escherichia coli presence but the application of such methods is not complete. When the effects of sucrose concentrations on phage stability were studied, Podoviridae coliphage was used to see if it could survive in the sucrose concentrations to test its ability to fight E. coli during lyophilization. These researchers found that concentrations of sucrose were detrimental to the phage, as the titer decreased significantly. At low concentrations of sucrose, the phage titer was able to be maintained, showing that sugars may be harmful to phages in higher doses. This experiment was done to understand how different concentrations of glucose would affect two specific phages, Bustleton and MillyPhilly.
Date of Presentation: 06/05/2019
Type of Presentation: Poster presentation
Title: A Study of the Effect of Glucose on Microbacteriophage Stability
Abstract: The relationship between sugars and bacteriophages has readily been seen in the dairy industry and in food transport. Because phages are so important to industries utilizing glucose products, it is important to study the effects that varying glucose concentrations may have on a phage’s ability to infect bacteria and reproduce. One area in which phages could be utilized is lyophilization, the process of freeze-drying items for preservation. This is mostly used in transporting perishable foods. Disaccharides are typically used as lyoprotectants due to their ability to stabilize proteins via hydrogen bonding, replacing the water molecules, and slowing protein denaturation.Phages are also desired to be used to control Escherichia coli presence but the application of such methods is not complete. When the effects of sucrose concentrations on phage stability were studied, Podoviridae coliphage was used to see if it could survive in the sucrose concentrations to test its ability to fight E. coli during lyophilization. These researchers found that concentrations of sucrose were detrimental to the phage, as the titer decreased significantly. At low concentrations of sucrose, the phage titer was able to be maintained, showing that sugars may be harmful to phages in higher doses. This experiment was done to understand how different concentrations of glucose would affect two specific phages, Bustleton and MillyPhilly.