Evaluation of a novel antimicrobial (lauric arginate ester) substance against biofilm of Escherichia coli O157: H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the activity of a novel antimicrobial substance lauric arginate ester (LAE) against selected foodborne pathogens (Escherichia coli O157: H7, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp.) in biofilm. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined and showed that LAE exhibits a strong antimicrobial activity. Biofilms were grown on abiotic stainless steel, rubber, MBEC biofilm device) and biotic (lettuce) surfaces. The efficacy of LAE (50, 100 and 200 ppm) at reducing the biofilm cells on these surfaces was examined by applying LAE for 2 h. Results revealed that LAE exhibited the reduction in biofilm bacteria up to 7 log CFU cm(-2), 3.5 log CFU cm(-2), 4.0 log CFU peg(-1) and 1.5 log CFU cm(-2) on stainless steel, rubber, MBEC and lettuce surfaces, respectively. Overall, these results suggest that LAE has been shown to be a potential alternative to control bacteria in biofilm mode in food industry.