Antibiofilm mechanism of peppermint essential oil to avert biofilm developed by foodborne and food spoilage pathogens on food contact surfaces

Abstract

Establishing efficient methods to combat bacterial biofilms is a major concern. Natural compounds, such as essential oils derived from plants, are among the favored and recommended strategies for combatting bacteria and their biofilm. Therefore, we evaluated the antibiofilm properties of peppermint oil as well as the activities by which it kills bacteria generally and particularly their biofilms. Peppermint oil antagonistic activities were investigated against Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella Typhimurium on four food contact surfaces (stainless steel, rubber, high-density polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate). Biofilm formation on each studied surface, hydrophobicity, autoaggregation, metabolic activity, and adenosine triphosphate quantification were evaluated for each bacterium in the presence and absence (control) of peppermint oil. Real-time polymerase chain reaction, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy were utilized to analyze the effects of peppermint oil treatment on the bacteria and their biofilm. Results showed that peppermint oil (1/2× minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC], MIC, and 2× MIC) substantially lessened biofilm formation, with high bactericidal properties. A minimum of 2.5-log to a maximum of around 5-log reduction was attained, with the highest sensitivity shown by V. parahaemolyticus. Morphological experiments revealed degradation of the biofilm structure, followed by some dead cells with broken membranes. Thus, this study established the possibility of using peppermint oil to combat key foodborne and food spoilage pathogens in the food processing environment.

Keywords: antibacterial; biofilm; foodborne pathogen; mechanism; peppermint essential oil; swarming; swimming.