Enhanced antimicrobial activity of nisin-loaded liposomal nanoparticles against foodborne pathogens

This study was designed to evaluate the prolonged antimicrobial stability of nisin-loaded liposome (LipoN) nanoparticles against Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. The sizes of bare liposomes and LipoN were uniformly distributed between 114 and 125 nm. The nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed in water with less than 0.2 of polydispersity index. The zeta potential value of LipoN was +17.1 mV due to the positive charged nisin, attaining 70% of loading efficiency. The minimum inhibitory concentration of LipoN against L. monocytogenes and S. aureus was 320 international unit/mL. The LipoN significantly enhanced the antimicrobial stability in brain heart infusion agar compared to free nisin. The numbers of L. monocytogenes and S. aureus exposed to LipoN were effectively reduced by more than 6 log colony-forming unit/mL after 48 and 72 h of incubation, respectively. These results provide useful information for the development of antimicrobial delivery system to improve food safety.