Geranic acid as a novel antimicrobial agent for controlling Aeromonas veronii in meat products

Aeromonas veronii is widely distributed in aquatic environments, as well as in a variety of aquatic products, poultry, and other meat products. As a typical zoonotic pathogen, it not only directly infects hosts and threatens their health, but also disseminates through the food chain. The prevention and control of A. veronii, particularly food contamination caused by this pathogen, remains a critical concern, necessitating the development of novel control strategies. Therefore, this study explores the antibacterial efficacy and underlying mechanisms of geranic acid against A. veronii, alongside its practical application in inhibiting bacterial proliferation in marinated beef and perch. Geranic acid exhibited antibacterial activity against various bacterial species, after treatment with geranic acid, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and catalase (CAT) activity of A. veronii were significantly increased, indicating that geranic acid can induce oxidative stress and increase cell membrane permeability, thereby resulting in cell damage and even death. Geranic acid also reduced extracellular protease activity, inhibited early biofilm formation, and interfered with quorum sensing, thus weakening the swarming motility and consequently decreasing the virulence of A. veronii. The application of a relatively high concentration of geranic acid in meat products significantly reduced the total bacterial counts and Aeromonas counts, and improved meat quality to a certain extent. These findings suggest that geranic acid, as an antibacterial agent, has important application potential in controlling microbial contamination of meat products.