Biological control of foodborne pathogens by lactic acid bacteria: A focus on juice processing industries

TARIFA, MARÍA CLARA; AGUSTÍN, MARÍA DEL ROSARIO; BRUGNONI, LORENA INÉS

REVISTA ARGENTINA DE MICROBIOLOGíA

ASOCIACION ARGENTINA MICROBIOLOGIA

Año: 2023 vol. 55 p. 378 - 386

0325-7541

The use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in foods as biocontrol agents against foodborne pathogens has become increasingly known. Under the premise that controlling theadhesion of microorganisms to food contact surfaces is an essential step for meeting thegoals of food processing, the aim of this work was to investigate the inhibitory and antibiofilm effectiveness of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (ATCC 53103) and Lactobacillus casei (ATCC393) against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes. Lactobacillus strains (108 CFU/ml) and pathogens (104 CFU/ml) were evaluated to monitor LABanti-adhesive and antibiofilm effect, in two main scenarios: (i) co-adhesion and (ii) pathogenincorporation to stainless steel surfaces with a protective biofilm of Lactobacillus cells. In (i) thepredominant effect was observed in L. rhamnosus against S. enterica and L. monocytogenes,whereas in (ii) both LAB significantly reduced the number of pathogenic adherent cells. Theeffect of pre-established LAB biofilms was more successful in displacing the three pathogensthan when they were evaluated under co-adhesion. These findings show that both LAB can beconsidered good candidates to prevent or inhibit the adhesion and colonization of L. monocytogenes, S. enterica and E. coli O157:H7 on surfaces and conditions of relevance for juiceprocessing industries, offering alternatives for improving the safety and quality of fruit-basedproducts.