Measurement of Fructose–Asparagine Concentrations in Human and Animal Foods

Journal Article · Tue Dec 26 00:00:00 EST 2017 · Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b04237· OSTI ID:1437547

Wu, Jikang ^[1]; Sabag-Daigle, Anice ^[2]; Metz, Thomas O. ^[3]; Deatherage Kaiser, Brooke L. ^[4]; Gopalan, Venkat ^[1]; Behrman, Edward J.  ^[1]; Wysocki, Vicki H. ^[1]; Ahmer, Brian M. M.  ^[2]

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1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
2. Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
3. Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland 99352, Washington, United States
4. Signature Sciences and Technology Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland 99352, Washington, United States

The food-borne bacterial pathogen, Salmonella enterica, can utilize fructose-asparagine (F-Asn) as the sole carbon and nitrogen source. F-Asn is the product of an Amadori rearrangement following the non-enzymatic condensation of glucose and asparagine. Heating converts F-Asn via complex Maillard reactions to a variety of molecules which contribute to the color, taste, and aroma of heated foods. Among these is acrylamide, which is present in some foods, especially in fried potato products. The F-Asn utilization pathway in Salmonella, specifically FraB, is a potential drug target because inhibition of this enzyme would lead to intoxication of Salmonella in the presence of F-Asn. However, F-Asn would need to be packaged with the FraB inhibitor, or available in human foods. To determine if there are foods that have sufficient F-Asn, we measured F-Asn concentrations in a variety of human and animal foods. The 399 pmol/mg F-Asn found in mouse chow is sufficient to intoxicate a Salmonella fraB mutant in mouse models of salmonellosis, and several human foods were found to have this concentration or higher (fresh apricots, lettuce, asparagus, and in canned peaches). Much higher concentrations (11,000 to 35,000 pmol/mg dry weight) were found in heat-dried apricots, apples, and asparagus. This report clarifies the origins of F-Asn as a nutrient source for Salmonella, and identifies foods that could be used in concert with a FraB inhibitor as a therapeutic agent for Salmonella.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1437547
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-129161
• Journal Information: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 66, Issue 1; ISSN 0021-8561
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English