Recipes for antimicrobial wine marinades against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enterica

ABSTRACT:  We have evaluated bactericidal activities against Bacillus cereus , Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes , and Salmonella enterica of several antimicrobial wine recipes, each consisting of red or white wine extracts of oregano leaves with added garlic juice and oregano oil. Dose-response plots were used to determine the percentage of the recipes that resulted in a 50% decrease in colony-forming units (CFU) at 60 min (BA₅₀). Studies designed to optimize antibacterial activities of the recipes demonstrated that several combinations of the naturally occurring plant-derived ingredients rapidly inactivated the above mentioned 4 foodborne pathogens. We also showed that (a) incubation temperature affected activities in the following order: 37 °C > 21 °C > 4 °C; (b) varying the initial bacterial concentrations from 10³ to 10⁴ to 10⁵ CFU/well did not significantly affect BA₅₀ values; (c) storage of 3 marinades up to 2 mo did not change their effectiveness against Salmonella enterica ; and (d) polyphenolic compounds isolated by chromatography from red wine exhibited exceptional activity at nanogram levels against 2 strains of Bacillus cereus . These observations suggest that antimicrobial wine formulations have the potential to improve the microbiological safety of foods.