Bactericidal activities of milk lipids.

The bactericidal capacity of digestion products of bovine milk triglycerides and membrane lipids was tested in vitro using Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enteritidis, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes, and Clostridium perfringens. C10:0 and C12:0 fatty acids and digestion products of sphingolipids appeared to be effective bactericidal agents, whereas digestion products of phosphoglycerides were moderately bactericidal. Thus, milk fat sphingolipids and triglycerides, particularly those containing C10:0 and C12:0 fatty acids, may protect against food-borne gastroenteritis.