Antimicrobial Efficacy and Spectrum of Phosphorous-Fluorine Co-Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles on the Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella Typhimurium, Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Shewanella putrefaciens, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus

• Published in: Foods 2021-07, Vol.10 (8), p.1786
• Main Authors: Schneider, György, Schweitzer, Bettina, Steinbach, Anita, Pertics, Botond Zsombor, Cox, Alysia, Kőrösi, László
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: antibacterial; Antibacterial activity; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria; Campylobacter; Campylobacter jejuni; Catalytic activity; Cell number; co-doping; E coli; Fluorine; Food contamination; Food contamination & poisoning; Food industry; Food safety; Food science; foodborne; Foodborne pathogens; Inactivation; Infections; Irradiation; Listeria; Listeria monocytogenes; Meat; Meat products; Metal oxides; Microbiota; Nanoparticles; Pathogens; Photocatalysis; Product safety; Salmonella; Salmonella Typhimurium; Shewanella putrefaciens; Staphylococcus aureus; TiO2; Titanium dioxide; Ultraviolet radiation; Yersinia enterocolitica
• ISSN: 2304-8158; 2304-8158
• DOI: 10.3390/foods10081786

Contamination of meats and meat products with foodborne pathogenic bacteria raises serious safety issues in the food industry. The antibacterial activities of phosphorous-fluorine co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles (PF-TiO2) were investigated against seven foodborne pathogenic bacteria: Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella Typhimurium, Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Shewanella putrefaciens, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. PF-TiO2 NPs were synthesized hydrothermally at 250 °C for 1, 3, 6 or 12 h, and then tested at three different concentrations (500 μg/mL, 100 μg/mL, 20 μg/mL) for the inactivation of foodborne bacteria under UVA irradiation, daylight exposure or dark conditions. The antibacterial efficacies were compared after 30 min of exposure to light. Distinct differences in the antibacterial activities of the PF-TiO2 NPs, and the susceptibilities of tested foodborne pathogenic bacterium species were found. PF-TiO2/3 h and PF-TiO2/6 h showed the highest antibacterial activity by decreasing the living bacterial cell number from ~106 by ~5 log (L. monocytogenes), ~4 log (EHEC), ~3 log (Y. enterolcolitca, S. putrefaciens) and ~2.5 log (S. aureus), along with complete eradication of C. jejuni and S. Typhimurium. Efficacy of PF-TiO2/1 h and PF-TiO2/12 h NPs was lower, typically causing a ~2–4 log decrease in colony forming units depending on the tested bacterium while the effect of PF-TiO2/0 h was comparable to P25 TiO2, a commercial TiO2 with high photocatalytic activity. Our results show that PF-co-doping of TiO2 NPs enhanced the antibacterial action against foodborne pathogenic bacteria and are potential candidates for use in the food industry as active surface components, potentially contributing to the production of meats that are safe for consumption.