Synergistic inhibition mechanism of slightly acidic electrolyzed water combined with ε-polylysine hydrochloride against Pseudomonas fluorescens

  • Food Res Int. 2026 Sep 30:240:119554. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.119554.
Zhili Jiang  1 ,  Chenglong Wu  2 ,  Yangguang Wang  2 ,  Shengmin Lu  3
Affiliations
  • 1. State Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Logistics and Processing of Fresh Food, Institute of Food Science, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; College of Food and Pharmacy, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China.
  • 2. College of Food and Pharmacy, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China.
  • 3. State Key Laboratory for Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Logistics and Processing of Fresh Food, Institute of Food Science, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 42409517 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.119554
Abstract

This study explored the synergistic inhibition mechanism on combining slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) and ε-polylysine hydrochloride (ε-PLH) against Pseudomonas fluorescens, a key spoilage bacterium in aquatic products. A significant synergistic Antibacterial effect was achieved with the fractional inhibitory concentration index being 0.5 when the two agents were combined at their respective 1/4 of minimum inhibitory concentration. Mechanistic studies revealed that the combined treatment severely disrupted Bacterial membrane integrity and potential, inhibited biofilm formation, and caused extensive Cell Lysis in P. fluorescens PF08. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy further indicated that the combined treatment caused the most severe damage to cell wall peptidoglycan, proteins, and Polysaccharides. Non-targeted metabolomics disclosed that SAEW primarily disturbed histidine and lysine metabolisms, while ε-PLH interfered with arginine and glutathione metabolisms, and their combination triggered broader metabolic reprogramming in the strain, demonstrating a multi-target Antibacterial mechanism. This study provides a theoretical basis for the application of the SAEW-ε-PLH composite green Antibacterial agent in the preservation of aquatic raw Materials and their prefabricated meal products which is perishable due to contamination by P. fluorescens.

Keywords
Inhibition mechanism; Non-targeted metabolomics; Pseudomonas fluorescens; Slightly acidic electrolyzed water; Synergistic antibacterial activity; ε-Polylysine hydrochloride.
Products