Abstract:

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the most prevalent foodborne pathogen in China, especially in the coastal cities. In this work, the effects of three natural edible components including acetic acid, alcohol and tea polyphenol on the survival rate of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in cultural broth were explored through single factor and orthogonal array experiments. Vibrio parahaemolyticus was completely inactivated after treatment with 50% alcohol or 0.5 mg/mL tea polyphenol solution for 5 min on the basis of single factor experiments. In addition, bacterial population was reduced by 4.79 lg(CFU/mL) when Vibrio parahaemolyticus cells were treated with acetic acid solution (pH 2) for 0.5 min. The orthogonal array optimization showed that the combined treatment of alcohol, organic acid and tea polyphenol could result in a synergistic inhibitory effect on Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Vibrio parahaemolyticus could be effectively inhibited after treatment with acetic acid solution (pH 2.8) containing 20% alcohol and 0.125 mg/mL tea polyphenol, or acetic acid solution (pH 2.4) containing 12% alcohol and 0.125 mg/mL teapolyphenol. These results suggest that the combined use of alcohol, organic acid and tea polyphenol can offer a compound antibacterial agent for reducing the risk of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection during seafood consumption.

Key words: Vibrio parahaemolyticus, alcohol, acetic acid, tea polyphenol, orthogonal design