Efficacy of orange terpene against Escherichia coli biofilm on beef and food contact surfaces

Foodborne pathogen Escherichia coli frequently causes foodborne infections. In our study, we investigated the antibiofilm activity of orange terpene (OT) against E. coli biofilms on a food surface (beef) and different surfaces that come into touch with food, including stainless steel (SS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and rubber (SR). The study findings revealed that OT significantly (P < 0.05) eliminated 48-h-old biofilms from all food contact surfaces (SS: 2.09 log CFU/cm(2), PET: 1.95 log CFU/cm(2), LDPE: 1.94 log CFU/cm(2), and SR: 1.4 log CFU/cm(2)). Additionally, on beef surfaces, OT at a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.13 % demonstrated the ability to inhibit biofilm development by approximately 1.5 log CFU/cm(2) and reduced pre-formed biofilms by 2.02 log CFU/cm(2). Our sensory evaluations showed that it had no adverse impacts on beef color and texture, although it slightly altered the natural odor of beef. Quantitative and qualitative assessments showed that OT has strong bactericidal actions on biofilm populations. It significantly altered cell surface hydrophobicity, reduced cellular ATP levels, and inhibited cell auto-aggregation in planktonic cells (P < 0.05). As a result, our findings emphasize the antibacterial potentiality of OT in reducing the biofilm of E. coli in the food sector.