Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) is an etiological cause of cholera and has been implicated in several epidemics. Exploration of the antimicrobial signatures of culinary spices has become an important industrial tool to suppress the growth of foodborne bacterial pathogens including Vibrio spp. The antibiofilm and antimotility activities of some selected natural antimicrobial agents were then evaluated. All the extracts showed vibriostatic activities with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 0.1% to 0.4%. Cinnamon and black pepper demonstrated significant biofilm inhibition activity from 94.77% to 99.77% when administered at 100% MIC. Black pepper extract also demonstrated the highest biofilm inhibition activity against the established biofilms of V. cholerae O1 and O139. Cinnamon, calabash nutmeg, and black pepper significantly inhibited swimming and swarming motility by 85.51% to 94.87%. Sub-MICs (50% and 75%) of some extracts were also effective as an antibiofilm and antimotility agent against the tested strains. The findings of our study suggest the potential application of natural antimicrobial agents such as spices in food to inhibit biofilm formation and motility, which consequently mitigate the virulence and persistence of the pathogen in the food supply chain.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 is a major foodborne pathogen that causes severe human infections. Plant extracts, glycine, and sodium acetate (NaOAc) exert antimicrobial effects that can be used to control pathogenic E. coli. However, their combinations have not been investigated. Thus, this study investigates the combination of ethanolic plant extracts with glycine and NaOAc against E. coli at various pH and temperature levels. Clove and rosemary extracts exhibited significant (p ≤ 0.05) antimicrobial activity against E. coli. At neutral pH, the combination of plant extracts with 1.0% glycine or 0.1% NaOAc reduced the minimum inhibitory concentration of clove from 0.4% to 0.2%; at pH 5.5, clove (0.1%) and rosemary (0.2%) extracts supplemented with NaOAc (0.1%) showed an additive effect. The population of E. coli O157:H7 in phosphate-buffered saline with 0.2% clove extract, 2% glycine, and 2% NaOAc showed a more than 5 log reduction after incubation at 15 °C for 96 h, while the combination of 0.1% clove extract with 2% NaOAc at pH 5.5 completely inhibited E. coli within 24 h at 35 °C. Thus, the combination of plant extracts with glycine and NaOAc could serve as a promising hurdle technology in controlling the growth of E. coli.

Bamboo shoots are increasingly recognized as promising sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds. However, comprehensive nutritional data for many commercially important species, particularly regarding the effects of common processing methods, such as boiling, remain limited. This study characterized the nutritional composition and nutraceutical properties of two commercially important bamboo species, Bambusa beecheyana and Dendrocalamus latiflorus, in fresh and boiled forms. Proximate analysis showed high moisture content (92-94 g/100 g wb). On a dry basis, B. beecheyana contains significantly more protein (41.68 g/100 g db) than D. latiflorus (26.06 g/100 g db). Both species were rich in dietary fiber (38.16-49.44 g/100 g db). Amino acid profiling identified 18 amino acids, with aspartic and glutamic acids being the predominant ones. B. beecheyana exhibited higher phytosterol content (4.66 mg/100 g db) than D. latiflorus (1.98 mg/100 g db), with β-sitosterol as the major sterol. It also demonstrated superior total phenolic content (TPC, 204.42 mg GAE/100 g db) and DPPH radical scavenging activity (30.18 mg AAE/100 g db). Boiling significantly increased moisture (1.43-1.97%), fat (129-229%), phytosterol (44.44-45.92%), and phenolic contents (91.40-144.71%), but reduced protein (0.26-62.32%), ash (40.60%), and DPPH radical scavenging activity (7.23-12.62%). These findings offer novel insights into the nutritional quality of underutilized bamboo shoots, supporting their potential incorporation into functional foods and dietary strategies that aim to enhance nutritional diversity and sustainability.