[In vitro susceptibility of a Staphylococcus spp. isolate to food preservatives].

Chemical food preservatives are incorporated into food products with the objective of preventing or delaying microbial spoilage and development of pathogenic microorganisms. In this study the in vitro activity of two esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid (methyl paraben and propyl paraben) was investigated against 434 staphylococci isolates from healthy people. The agar dilution method was used for studying the antimicrobial activity. The investigated parabens were active against staphylococci with minimum inhibitory concentrations lower than commonly used levels for food preservation.