LAUSR

Abstract Aminoethyl-phloretin (AEP), a novel water-soluble phloretin derivative, was synthesized from phloretin and 2-bromine ethylamine. Its antibacterial activity, safety, and preservative effect on salmon were studied. The structure of AEP was verified with UV, IR, ESI-MS and 1H NMR, 13C NMR spectroscopy. HPLC analysis showed that the solubility of AEP was 430 times higher than that of phloretin. AEP exhibited a wide range of antibacterial activity on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results of an acute oral-toxicity test in Kunming mice and a 30-days feeding subacute toxicity test on Sprague Dawley rats demonstrated that AEP was actually non-toxic. AEP also demonstated good preservative effects on salmon fish: the color, odor, taste and cooking method can maintain high-quality characteristics for 4 days; the level of fat oxidation and biogenic amines were reduced by 3.35 times and 10 times, respectively; the total bacterial and Pseudomonas spp. counts could be suppressed by 2 logarithms and 1.5 logarithms, respectively, following treatment with 4 mg/mL of AEP. Thus, AEP significantly improved the solubility of phloretin, expanding its application scope and making it a promising preservative in the food industry.