Marwa A. Kamel, Sherif Abd-Elmaksoud, Mohamed Ali Marouf, Mohamed Mokhtar Hefny, Mohamed Azab El-Liethy, Ibrahim Ahmed Hamza
{"title":"Non-thermal Plasma as a Decontamination Technology for Improving Microbial Safety of Fresh Produce","authors":"Marwa A. Kamel, Sherif Abd-Elmaksoud, Mohamed Ali Marouf, Mohamed Mokhtar Hefny, Mohamed Azab El-Liethy, Ibrahim Ahmed Hamza","doi":"10.1111/jfs.70082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jfs.70082","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Nonthermal plasma (NTP) and plasma-activated water (PAW) are emerging nonthermal technologies for microbial decontamination of fresh vegetable and fruit products. Yet, their efficacy is strongly influenced by microbial type and matrix complexity. This study evaluated the antimicrobial performance of NTP and PAW against two foodborne bacterial pathogens, namely <i>Salmonella Typhimurium</i> (<i>S. Typhimurium</i>) and <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> (<i>L. monocytogenes</i>), as well as bacteriophage ΦX174 as a viral surrogate. The effects of NTP and PAW were studied on two fresh produce surfaces of <i>Eruca sativa</i> (arugula) and Fragaria ananassa Duch (strawberry) in aqueous suspensions. The OES confirmed the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) with high electron density. In water, direct NTP achieved rapid inactivation of bacterial pathogens (> 5 log<sub>10</sub> within 2–3 min), whereas efficacy on produce surfaces was reduced, with maximum reductions of ~2.5 log<sub>10</sub> on arugula and ~2 log<sub>10</sub> on strawberries, while higher reductions (> 5 log<sub>10</sub>) were observed in the corresponding aqueous phase. In contrast, PAW demonstrated strong bactericidal activity in aqueous systems (up to ~4.9 log<sub>10</sub>) and on produce surfaces, achieving ~2.5 log<sub>10</sub> reduction on arugula and ~3.1 log<sub>10</sub> on strawberries for <i>S. Typhimurium</i>. However, viral inactivation was more limited and matrix-dependent, with PAW achieving ~2.3 log<sub>10</sub> reduction on arugula but only ~0.5 log<sub>10</sub> on strawberries. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed severe membrane damage to the selected bacterial pathogens after treatment and microbial localization within the produce surface pores, explaining matrix-associated protection. Overall, NTP and PAW show strong potential to enhance the safety of fresh produce, but further optimization is needed to overcome surface shielding and preserve product quality.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":15814,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Safety","volume":"46 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148174273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Synergistic and Molecular Docking Evaluation of Doxycycline Combined With Tannic, Salicylic, and Boric Acids Against Staphylococcus aureus","authors":"Karrar Al-Aklah, Somayeh Reiisi, Gharsrhasb Rigi, Razieh Heidari, Mehran Feizi-Dehnayebi","doi":"10.1111/jfs.70081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jfs.70081","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p><i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> is an important human pathogen with a high potential for antibiotic resistance and zoonotic transmission. Doxycycline is widely used in human and poultry infections, but its extensive application has accelerated the emergence of resistant strains. This study evaluated the potential of tannic acid, salicylic acid, and boric acid as adjuvants to doxycycline against <i>S. aureus</i> isolated from frozen chicken meat. Isolates were identified using selective culture media and biochemical tests. Antimicrobial activity was determined by broth microdilution assays to measure minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values. Synergistic interactions were assessed using the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI), while antibiofilm activity was also investigated. In addition, molecular docking analysis was performed using the target protein structure (PDB ID: 4URO). Doxycycline showed a MIC value of 0.5 μg/mL, whereas tannic acid, salicylic acid, and boric acid exhibited MIC values of 500, 1000, and 2000 μg/mL, respectively. Combination treatments reduced the MIC of doxycycline to 0.125 μg/mL with tannic acid and 0.25 μg/mL with salicylic acid, confirming synergistic effects, while boric acid showed no synergism. MBC and biofilm inhibition assays further supported the enhanced antibacterial activity of doxycycline combined with tannic acid or salicylic acid. Molecular docking results were consistent with the biological findings, showing the strongest binding affinity for doxycycline (−6.92 kcal/mol), followed by tannic acid (−5.61 kcal/mol) and salicylic acid (−5.49 kcal/mol), whereas boric acid showed weak binding (−3.22 kcal/mol). Overall, tannic acid and salicylic acid significantly enhanced the antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects of doxycycline against <i>S. aureus</i>, suggesting their potential as natural adjuvants for combating antibiotic resistance.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":15814,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Safety","volume":"46 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148173732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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