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Antioxidant properties of coriander essential oil and linalool and their potential to control Campylobacter spp.

Publication . Duarte, A.; Luís, A.; Oleastro, Mónica; Domingues, F.C.

Foodborne diseases remain common around the world with Campylobacteriosis being the most commonly reported zoonosis in the European Union in 2013. Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are the main species associated with human illness. Furthermore, Campylobacter can develop biofilms which is becoming a major problem within the food industry. In addition to foodborne pathogens, oxidation is a non-microbial cause of deterioration of food causing loss of quality and safety. Thus, there is an urgent need in the food industry for new and effective strategies that can help prevent food contamination, spoilage and consequently, foodborne illnesses. Essential oils are known for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and are already widely used in the food industry. So, the aim of this work was to study the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity of coriander essential oil and its major compound linalool against C. jejuni and C. coli strains, as well as their effect in the quorum sensing (QS) system and their potential as antioxidants. Our results, demonstrated that both compounds have anti- Campylobacter activity, inhibited in vitro biofilm formation and promoted biofilm dispersion even at sub-MIC concentrations and interfered with the QS system through the inhibition of violacein production. Moreover, the essential oil and linalool were shown to have radical scavenging properties and lipid peroxidation inhibition ability which could make them potential alternatives to synthetic antioxidants. In sum, our results demonstrated the antibacterial, anti-biofilm, anti-QS and antioxidant potentials of the coriander essential oil and its major compound, linalool, suggesting that they could be used in the food industry to enhance shelf life of food products and increase food safety without requiring chemical additives or preservatives.

2015-09-28Journal article

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Genetic diversity, antibiotic resistance and biofilm-forming ability of Arcobacter butzleri isolated from poultry and environment from a Portuguese slaughterhouse

Publication . Ferreira, Susana; Fraqueza, Maria João; Queiroz, João; Domingues, Fernanda; Oleastro, Mónica

The genus Arcobacter is an emerging pathogen associated with several clinical symptoms. This genus is widely distributed and has been isolated from environmental, animal, food and human samples, where poultry is considered the major source. In this study, forty three Arcobacter butzleri strains isolated from poultry and environment of a Portuguese slaughterhouse, were characterized by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and assessed for antimicrobial susceptibility and ability to form biofilms. PFGE patterns obtained using restriction enzymes SmaI and SacII revealed high genetic diversity, with 32 distinct PFGE patterns. Most of A. butzleri isolates presented multiple antimicrobial resistance, exhibiting four different resistance profiles. All 43 isolates were susceptible to gentamicin and 2.3% were resistant to chloramphenicol, in contrast to twenty four (55.8%) that were resistant to ciprofloxacin. Among 36 selected isolates, 26 strains presented biofilmforming ability, which was dependent on the atmosphere and initial inoculum density. Overall, the results showed that A. butzleri displays a high genetic diversity, and presents resistance to several antibiotics, which together with its biofilm formation ability may represent a potential hazard for foodborne infections and a considerable risk for human health.

2013-03-01Journal article

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