Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, characterized by the lack of a terminal heating step prior to consumption, offer enhanced organoleptic qualities compared to their cooked counterparts, as they retain more of their natural flavors, textures, and nutritional content. However, these untreated products pose a risk for foodborne illnesses if not promptly consumed and/or adequately stored under refrigeration or in a frozen state. This investigation delves into the synergistic antimicrobial effects of a novel human-mimetic peptide, L-11, in conjunction with organosulfur compounds derived from Allium species—namely allicin, diallyl sulfide (DAS), dipropyl sulfide (DPS), propyl propane thiosulfinate (PTS), and propyl propane thiosulfonate (PTSO)—on the inhibition and control of Gram-negative foodborne pathogens across various food matrices. Notably, despite the minimal individual antimicrobial activity of peptide L-11 and the evaluated organosulfur compounds against target bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Shigella sonnei), their combinations exhibited remarkable synergistic effects in vitro with until 32-fold reduction for some combinations. Specifically, combinations including PTS and PTSO demonstrated up to a 99% reduction in bacterial proliferation within RTE food models such as salmorejo, aioli, pumpkin cream, and spinach cream. These findings highlight the potential applications of these synergistic combinations in extending the shelf-life and enhancing the safety of RTE foods. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the inaugural report of such synergistic interactions between organosulfur compounds and peptides in extending the shelf-life of RTE foods.
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