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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Microbial and Chemical Food Safety » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #412347
Research Project: Mitigation of Foodborne Pathogens in Water and Fresh Produce via Application of Biochar

Location: Microbial and Chemical Food Safety

Title: Application of competitive microbes, predatory bacteria and antimicrobials for biocontrol and inactivation of foodborne pathogens

Author
item Olanya, Modesto
item Ukuku, Dike
item Mukhopadhyay, Sudarsan
item Oladeinde, Adelumola - Ade
item Lakshman, Dilip

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/25/2024
Publication Date: 6/24/2024
Citation: Olanya, O.M., Ukuku, D.O., Mukhopadhyay, S., Oladeinde, A.A., Lakshman, D.K. 2024. Application of competitive microbes, predatory bacteria and antimicrobials for biocontrol and inactivation of foodborne pathogens. Meeting Abstract. 0.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The food safety of agricultural commodities is important for consumer health. However, human pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes are persistent impediments to food and consumer safety. Biocontrol and biorational approaches for pathogen inactivation with beneficial microbes may be attractive pathogen reduction measures, due to cost effectiveness, low chemical residues, low potential for host-resistance, and specificity of pathogen control measures. We evaluated the efficacy of competitive exclusion microbes (CEM), predatory bacteria (Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus), generally regarded as safe (GRAS) antimicrobials such as cottonseed protein isolates (CSPI), sanitizer, fatty acid amide derivatives (FA) for reduction of pathogenic bacteria in-vitro and on post-harvest produce. Non-pathogenic CEM (Pseudomonas sp.) and B. bacteriovorus were applied against Salmonella or E. coli in-vitro and on post-harvest produce either solely or in combinations with non-thermal measures. Similarly, inactivation of L. monocytogenes and Salmonella by antimicrobials were also investigated. P. chlororaphis and P. fluorescens significantly (p<0.05) reduced Salmonella by 0.50-2.00 log CFU/g on tomatoes, relative to the control. Similarly, application of CEM microbes resulted in significantly (p<0.05) greater log reductions of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 in-vitro than on spinach. The reductions of E. coli and Salmonella by B. bacteriovorus in co-cultures ranged from 1.00-3.85 Log CFU/mL, while on lettuce, E. coli reductions were <1.84 log CFU/g but differed significantly (p<0.05) from the control. Pathogen inactivation by CSPI and Sanitizer were significant (p<0.05) but varied on alfalfa, mungbean and soybean seed. These results indicate that biocontrol interventions offer a great potential for pathogen reductions and its application can enhance food safety.