Antibacterial Activity and Mechanism of Action of Crude Aqueous Extracts from Agricultural Waste against Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria

doi.org/10.26538/tjnpr/v6i6.14

Abstract

Foodborne disease causes enormous financial and human losses in the country. Bacteria are the most common causative agent of food poisoning. Controlling the amount of these bacteria in food is thus a critical and urgent issue for public health conservation and preservation. Agricultural wastes, according to various studies, are inexpensive and valuable in large amounts, and are rich in valuable phytochemicals. Thus, this study was aimed at investigating the antibacterial activity of aqueous extracts from several agricultural wastes and their mode of action against foodborne pathogenic bacteria. Aqueous extracts were prepared from the agricultural wastes including, dried wheat straw, barley straw, corn stover, sugar cane bagasse, and peanut peels. The antibacterial activity of the extracts was tested against Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Escherichia coli, through the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each extract. The release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and DNA content were evaluated to determine the mechanism of action of the extracts. The results showed the efficacy of the extracts as antibacterial agents with a MIC of less than 1mg/ml. The extracts largely damage the bacterial membrane; nonetheless, all of the extracts increased the amount of LDH. The change in DNA percentage after extract treatment of the bacterial cultures was negative, indicating that DNA synthesis was inhibited and its degradation was promoted. The findings of this study indicate that the test extracts could be potential food preservative agents against foodborne pathogens after further research is conducted.