Antibacterial Activity and Mechanisms of Action of Inorganic Nanoparticles against Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens: A Systematic Review

Foodborne disease outbreaks due to bacterial pathogens and their toxins have become a serious concern for global public health and security. Finding novel antibacterial agents with unique mechanisms of action against the current spoilage and foodborne bacterial pathogens is a central strategy to overcome antibiotic resistance. This study examined the antibacterial activities and mechanisms of action of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) against foodborne bacterial pathogens. The articles written in English were recovered from registers and databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Directory of Open Access Journals) and other sources (websites, organizations, and citation searching). “Nanoparticles,” “Inorganic Nanoparticles,” “Metal Nanoparticles,” “Metal–Oxide Nanoparticles,” “Antimicrobial Activity,” “Antibacterial Activity,” “Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens,” “Mechanisms of Action,” and “Foodborne Diseases” were the search terms used to retrieve the articles. The PRISMA-2020 checklist was applied for the article search strategy, article selection, data extraction, and result reporting for the review process. A total of 27 original research articles were included from a total of 3,575 articles obtained from the different search strategies. All studies demonstrated the antibacterial effectiveness of inorganic NPs and highlighted their different mechanisms of action against foodborne bacterial pathogens. In the present study, small-sized, spherical-shaped, engineered, capped, low-dissolution with water, high-concentration NPs, and in Gram-negative bacterial types had high antibacterial activity as compared to their counterparts. Cell wall interaction and membrane penetration, reactive oxygen species production, DNA damage, and protein synthesis inhibition were some of the generalized mechanisms recognized in the current study. Therefore, this study recommends the proper use of nontoxic inorganic nanoparticle products for food processing industries to ensure the quality and safety of food while minimizing antibiotic resistance among foodborne bacterial pathogens.