title: Mechanism of Action of Electrospun Chitosan-Based Nanofibers against Meat Spoilage and Pathogenic Bacteria.
abstract: This study investigates the antibacterial mechanism of action of electrospun chitosan-based nanofibers (CNFs), againstEscherichia coli,Salmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium,Staphylococcus aureusandListeria innocua, bacteria frequently involved in food contamination and spoilage. CNFs were prepared by electrospinning of chitosan and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) blends. The in vitro antibacterial activity of CNFs was evaluated and the susceptibility/resistance of the selected bacteria toward CNFs was examined. Strain susceptibility was evaluated in terms of bacterial type, cell surface hydrophobicity, and charge density, as well as pathogenicity. The efficiency of CNFs on the preservation and shelf life extension of fresh red meat was also assessed. Our results demonstrate that the antibacterial action of CNFs depends on the protonation of their amino groups, regardless of bacterial type and their mechanism of action was bactericidal rather than bacteriostatic. Results also indicate that bacterial susceptibility was not Gram-dependent but strain-dependent, with non-virulent bacteria showing higher susceptibility at a reduction rate of 99.9%. The susceptibility order was:E. coli>L. innocua>S. aureus>S.Typhimurium. Finally, an extension of one week of the shelf life of fresh meat was successfully achieved. These results are promising and of great utility for the potential use of CNFs as bioactive food packaging materials in the food industry, and more specifically in meat quality preservation.
authors.affiliation: CREPEC Department of Chemical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3A7, Canada. mounia.arkoun@polymtl.ca.
authors.forename: Mounia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arkoun
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada. france.daigle@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: France
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Daigle
authors.affiliation: CREPEC Department of Chemical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3A7, Canada. marie-claude.heuzey@polymtl.ca.
authors.forename: Marie-Claude
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Heuzey
authors.affiliation: CREPEC Department of Chemical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, P.O. Box 6079, Station Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3A7, Canada. abdellah.ajji@polymtl.ca.
authors.forename: Abdellah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ajji
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D005506:Food Contamination; D005516:Food Microbiology; D018857:Food Packaging; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D048271:Chitosan
keywords: chitosan-based nanofibers; gram-negative; gram-positive; meat packaging; mechanism of action