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Antimicrobial effects of sodium metasilicate against Listeria monocytogenes

Chander Shekhar Sharma1, Sally K Williams, Keith R Schneider

  • 1Department of Poultry Science, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA. csharma@poultry.msstate.edu

Foodborne Pathogens and Disease
|August 15, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Sodium metasilicate (SMS) disrupts Listeria monocytogenes cell membranes, causing leakage and death. This study reveals SMS

Area of Science:

  • Food Microbiology
  • Bacteriology
  • Antimicrobial Mechanisms

Background:

  • Sodium metasilicate (SMS) is a USDA-approved antimicrobial for meat and poultry.
  • Its specific mechanism against foodborne pathogens remains unclear.
  • Listeria monocytogenes is a common contaminant in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the antimicrobial mechanism of sodium metasilicate (SMS) against Listeria monocytogenes.
  • To investigate the effect of SMS on bacterial membrane integrity and viability.

Main Methods:

  • Treatment of L. monocytogenes with varying concentrations of SMS and high pH solutions.
  • Flow cytometry analysis using propidium iodide (PI) and SYTO9 nucleic acid stains.
  • Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe ultrastructural changes.

Main Results:

  • SMS demonstrated concentration- and time-dependent inactivation of L. monocytogenes.
  • SMS treatment led to compromised membrane integrity, evidenced by PI uptake.
  • TEM revealed disruption of the cytoplasmic membrane and morphological changes.

Conclusions:

  • Sodium metasilicate inactivates Listeria monocytogenes by compromising its membrane integrity.
  • This leads to intracellular content leakage and subsequent cell death.
  • The findings clarify the antimicrobial action of SMS against this foodborne pathogen.

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