Antibacterial activity and action mechanism of the essential oil from enteromorpha linza L. against foodborne pathogenic bacteria

Jayanta Kumar Patra, Kwang Hyun Baek

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

66 Scopus citations

Abstract

Foodborne illness and disease caused by foodborne pathogenic bacteria is continuing to increase day by day and it has become an important topic of concern among various food industries. Many types of synthetic antibacterial agents have been used in food processing and food preservation; however, they are not safe and have resulted in various health-related issues. Therefore, in the present study, essential oil from an edible seaweed, Enteromorpha linza (AEO), was evaluated for its antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens, along with the mechanism of its antibacterial action. AEO at 25 mg/disc was highly active against Bacillus cereus (12.3-12.7 mm inhibition zone) and Staphylococcus aureus (12.7-13.3 mm inhibition zone). The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration values of AEO ranged from 12.5-25 mg/mL. Further investigation of the mechanism of action of AEO revealed its strong impairing effect on the viability of bacterial cells and membrane permeability, as indicated by a significant increase in leakage of 260 nm absorbing materials and K+ ions from the cell membrane and loss of high salt tolerance. Taken together, these data suggest that AEO has the potential for use as an effective antibacterial agent that functions by impairing cell membrane permeability via morphological alternations, resulting in cellular lysis and cell death.

Original languageEnglish
Article number388
JournalMolecules
Volume21
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2016

Keywords

  • Antibacterial property
  • Bacillus cereus
  • Enteromorpha linza
  • Essential oil
  • Seaweed
  • Staphylococcus aureus

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