Work

Lysozyme and carvacrol as food-safe antimicrobials synergistically eradicate Salmonella by disrupting TCA cycle and amino acid utilization

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Based on the limited bactericidal effect of lysozyme (LYZ) alone against Salmonella, this study significantly enhanced the bactericidal activity of LYZ against Salmonella by adding carvacrol (Car). At the same time, the bactericidal mechanism of the interaction between LYZ and Car against Salmonella has been explored. Antibacterial assay results showed that the combined use of LYZ and Car exhibited a significant synergistic effect against Salmonella.Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the combination treatment caused significant morphological damage to Salmonella. Cell permeability assay of Salmonella have indicated that the synergistic mechanism of LYZ and Car might be related to cell membrane disruption. The experiments of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, ATPase activity assays, and ATP content determination demonstrated that LYZ and Car increased intracellular ROS accumulation in Salmonella cells while disrupting intracellular energy metabolism. Metabolomics analysis suggested that the combination of LYZ and Car might lead to the disturbance of energy metabolism and amino acid metabolism in Salmonella cells. In addition, Car itself has antibacterial properties, and their combination more effectively in inhibiting or eradicating Salmonella, providing a new strategy for controlling Salmonella contamination in food safety.

Source: LWT

DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2025.118604