The Degradation of Preservatives of Microorganisms

The ability of microorganisms to decompose aromatic compounds, many of them with intrinsic antimicrobial power, have been known from the beginning of the century. The early work arose from the finding that soil biocides disappearedfrom the soil and were traced to their metabolism by soil microorganisms. This finding gave rise to extensive biochemical investigations into the mechanisms of decomposition. This background has been extended to the field of preservatives and is now well documented as one of the possible reasons for preservative failure. This paper highlights some examples of this phenomenon