Properties of alkyl hydroxycinnamates and effects on Pseudomonas fluorescens.

Alkyl esters of six hydroxycinnamic acids, shown to be active antimicrobial agents when tested against Pseudomonas fluorescens, were further investigated for their effects against this organism. There was no statistically significant adaptation by this organism to either of the methyl esters of caffeic, rho-coumaric, cinnamic, or rho-hydroxybenzoic acids. Mixtures of these compounds taken two at a time gave at least additive effects, with some mixtures showing synergism. Preliminary work was also performed to determine the mode of inhibitory action for these compounds. The inhibition of oxygen utilization by the methyl esters correlated well with growth inhibition. Short-term lethality studies showed that none of the alkyl esters or methyl or propyl paraben produced any bacteriocidal effects. Oil-water partition coefficients were determined for these compounds and were shown to have no correlation with growth inhibitions. These all point to a specific mode of action, based in part on cellular energy depletion, rather than the nonspecific membrane-disrupting effects of other phenolic antimicrobial agents.