Jacalin Hydrocolloid Nanoconjugates Mitigate Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Biofilms on Meat Products

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a notorious pathogen which causes severe food borne infections. The formation of biofilms and virulence factors by MRSA mediates the risk of infections. Bacteria living in biofilm communities are highly resistant to current day available drugs and preservatives because the extracellular matrix (ECM) present in the biofilms sequesters the antimicrobial agents. The hesitance of consumers to procure antibiotic treated food products and its associated antimicrobial resistance have pushed the food industry to look for antibiotic free food preservatives. The present study investigated the antibiofilm efficacy of jacalin copper sulfide nanoparticles (JCuS NPs) against MRSA biofilms. The outcome of the study shows that there was significant inhibition in young biofilms and disruption of mature biofilms which is evident by light microscopy and SEM micrographs. Slime synthesis, which is one of the major virulence factors of MRSA, was inhibited upon treatment with JCuS NPs. In addition to antibiofilm efficacy, the food preservative effect of JCuS NPs was evaluated in meat samples (chicken) by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay which showed that there was a significant inhibition in lipid peroxidation. Real time PCR analysis of biofilm and virulence associated genes were analyzed for their expression upon treatment. The results conclude that JCuS NPs exhibited enhanced biofilm inhibition potential when compared to CuS NPs alone. Furthermore, JCuS NPs disrupted the biofilms formed on the poultry meat sample with good lipid peroxidation inhibition efficacy. The overall finding reveals that JCuS NPs can be used as a food preservative to extend the shelf life of meat products.

Automated summary

This study investigates the antibiofilm efficacy of jacalin copper sulfide nanoparticles (JCuS NPs) against MRSA biofilms. The results show that JCuS NPs significantly inhibit young biofilm formation, disrupt mature biofilms, and inhibit the synthesis of slime, a major virulence factor of MRSA. In addition, JCuS NPs exhibit good lipid peroxidation inhibition efficacy in poultry meat samples, indicating their potential as a food preservative to extend the shelf life of meat products.