Breaking the biofilm barrier: Vitamin C as a novel strategy against multidrug-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium

Authors: SHIVAPRASAD, D.P. - National Institute Of Food Technology Entrepreneurship And Management(NIFTEM); KAUSHIK, ABHISHEK - National Institute Of Food Technology Entrepreneurship And Management(NIFTEM); TANEJA, NEETU KUMRA - National Institute Of Food Technology Entrepreneurship And Management(NIFTEM); LAKRA, ANUPAMA - National Institute Of Food Technology Entrepreneurship And Management(NIFTEM); BHARADWAJ, DINESH - National Institute Of Food Technology Entrepreneurship And Management(NIFTEM); Juneja, Vijay; TANEJA, PANKAJ - National Institute Of Food Technology Entrepreneurship And Management(NIFTEM); CHAUHAN, KOMAL - National Institute Of Food Technology Entrepreneurship And Management(NIFTEM); OBEROI, HARINDER - National Institute Of Food Technology Entrepreneurship And Management(NIFTEM)

Submitted to: International Journal of Food Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/6/2024
Publication Date: 1/8/2025
Citation: Shivaprasad, D., Kaushik, A., Taneja, N., Lakra, A., Bharadwaj, D.K., Juneja, V.K., Taneja, P., Chauhan, K., Oberoi, H.S. 2025. Breaking the biofilm barrier: Vitamin C as a novel strategy against multidrug-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium. International Journal of Food Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1093/IJFOOD/vvae082.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/IJFOOD/vvae082

Interpretive Summary: Salmonella has been shown to overcome harsh environmental conditions by forming biofilms on food surfaces. Conventional antimicrobials have been shown to be ineffective against such biofilms. We assessed the efficacy of Vitamin C against biofilm forming S. Typhimurium SMC25 on cottage cheese. Our results suggest that the greatest elimination of biofilm was achieved at a concentration of 125 mM. Vitamin C treatment of food surfaces holds a promising, safe, and effective approach to guard against the hazards associated with biofilms in the dairy industry.

Technical Abstract: Biofilm-forming, multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of Salmonella sp. associated with food surfaces and process equipment are difficult to eradicate and pose a serious food safety threat. This study evaluated antibiofilm activity of Vitamin C (VC; ascorbic acid) against MDR biofilm-forming Salmonella Typhimurium. The dose-dependent, anti-Salmonella activity of VC and minimum inhibitory concentration of 125mM was divulged. Electron microscopy showed copious cannon-ball-like pores inflicted onto the cell-wall of VC-treated bacteria and dramatic reduction of biofilm-structure. The anti-biofilm mechanism of VC was mediated by reactive-oxygen-species (ROS) generation that caused sugar and protein leakage, and curtailed exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and Quorum Sensing (QS) activity in VC-treated bacteria. VC differentially-regulated the expression of biofilm-related genes in Salmonella and showed in-situ efficacy against S. Typhimurium biofilm as a coating on Paneer. Thus, we concluded that VC has promising potential for treating the Salmonella biofilm problem for enhanced food safety and designing antibiotic-independent adjunct treatment to combat MDR strains of Salmonella sp.