Pimaricin is a natural antifungal compound produced by Streptomyces fermentation. It belongs to polyene macrolides. Pimaricin can not only inhibit the growth of various fungi and yeasts, but also inhibit the production of mycotoxins. It can be widely used in food preservation and antifungal treatment. Pimaricin has no inhibitory effect on bacteria, so it does not affect the natural maturation process of yoghurt, cheese, raw ham and dried sausage.
Pimaricin depends on its lactone ring structure and the action of sterols on fungal cell membrane to form antibiotics - sterols, which destroy the structure of fungal cell plasma membrane. The hydrophilic part (polyol part) of macrolide forms water holes on the membrane, which damages the permeability of cell membrane, and then causes the exudation of amino acids, electrolytes and other substances in the bacteria, resulting in the death of the bacteria. Pimaricin has no effect on some microorganisms when there are no steroids in their cell membranes. Therefore, Pimaricin only inhibits fungi and has no antimicrobial activity against bacteria and viruses.
Pimaricin is a natural, broad-spectrum, efficient and safe filamentous fungal inhibitor, which can not only inhibit fungi, but also prevent the production of mycotoxins. Pimaricin is harmless to human body, difficult to be absorbed by human digestive tract, and it is difficult for microorganisms to resist it. At the same time, because of its low solubility, Pimaricin is usually used for food surface preservation.