Synergistic bactericidal action of phytic acid and sodium chloride against Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells protected by a biofilm

The food industry must prevent the build-up of strong Escherichia coli O157:H7 biofilms in food processing environments. The present study examined the bactericidal action of phytic acid (PA), a natural extract from rice bran and the hulls/peels of legumes, against E. coli O157:H7 biofilms. The synergistic bactericidal effects of PA plus sodium chloride (NaCl) were also examined. E. coli O157:H7 biofilms were allowed for form on stainless steel coupons by culture in both rich (tryptic soy broth, TSB) and minimal (M9) medium at 22 degrees C for 6 days. Bacterial cells within biofilms grown in M9 medium were significantly more resistant to PA than those grown in TSB (p < 0.05); thus M9 medium was selected for further experiments. The anti-biofilm effect of PA was significantly increased by addition of NaCl (2-4%) (p < 0.05); indeed, the combination of 0.4% PA plus 3-4% NaCl completely inactivated E. coli O157:H7 biofilms without recovery (a > 6.5 log CFU/cm(2) reduction). Neither PA nor NaCl alone were this effective (PA, 1.6-2.7 log CFU/cm(2) reduction; NaCl, < 0.5 log CFU/cm(2) reduction). Confocal laser scanning microscopy images of propidium iodide-treated cells showed that PA (0.4%) plus NaCl (2-4%) had marked membrane permeabilizing effects. These results suggest that a sanitizer that combines these two naturally occurring antimicrobial agents may be useful to food safety managers who encounter thick biofilm formation in food processing environments. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.