Inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes Cocktail Culture Biofilms on Crab and Shrimp Coupons and the Expression of Biofilm-Related Genes

• Published in: Antibiotics (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 6; p. 1008
• Main Authors: Roy, Pantu Kumar, Kim, So Hee, Jeon, Eun Bi, Park, Eun Hee, Park, Shin Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 04.06.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Acids; Antimicrobial agents; Antioxidants; Bacteria; Bactericidal activity; biofilm; Biofilms; Cancer; Cell culture; Crabs; Crustaceans; Drug resistance; Environmental impact; FlaA protein; Flavonoids; Food additives; Food contamination & poisoning; Food processing; Food production; Food quality; food safety; Gene expression; Genes; Illnesses; Listeria; Listeria monocytogenes; Listeriosis; Lysis; Metabolites; Microorganisms; Minimum inhibitory concentration; Motility; Natural & organic foods; Oxidative stress; Quercetin; Quorum sensing; Scanning electron microscopy; Shrimps; Virulence; food safety; relative expression; biofilm; Listeria monocytogenes; shrimps; quercetin; crabs
• ISSN: 2079-6382; 2079-6382
• DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12061008

, a bacterium that is transmitted by tainted food, causes the infection listeriosis. In this study, quercetin was tested for its antibacterial properties and effectiveness as a food additive in preventing the growth of cocktail (ATCC19117, ATCC19113, and ATCC15313) biofilms on crabs and shrimps. Quercetin showed the least bactericidal activity and no discernible microbial growth at a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 250 µg/mL. The biofilm inhibition was performed at sub-MICs (1/2, 1/4, and 1/8 MIC). There was no quercetin added to the control group. Additionally, the present work examines the expression of various genes related to biofilm formation and quorum sensing ( ). The levels of target genes were all significantly down-regulated. Quercetin (0-125 µg/mL) on the surfaces of the crab and shrimp was studied; its inhibitory effects were measured as log reductions at 0.39-2.31 log CFU/cm and 0.42-2.36 log CFU/cm , respectively ( < 0.05). Quercetin reduced the formation of biofilms by disrupting cell-to-cell connections and causing cell lysis, which led to the deformation of the cells, evidenced by FE-SEM (field-emission scanning electron microscopy). These findings emphasize the significance of using natural food agents to target bacteria throughout the entire food production process.