Application of caffeine, 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine, to control Escherichia coli O157:H7

The objective of this research was to determine the effectiveness of caffeine on inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth. Overnight samples of five E. coli O157:H7 strains of (E0019, F4546, H1730, 944 and Cider) were used in this study. These strains were individually inoculated at an initial inoculum level of 2 log CFU/ml into BHI broth containing caffeine at different concentrations (0.00%, 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%, 1.00%, 1.25%, 1.50%, 1.75%, and 2.00%). Samples were then incubated at 37 °C for 24 h. Bacterial growth was monitored at different time intervals by measuring turbidity at 610 nm using a spectrophotometer. Results revealed that the addition of caffeine inhibited the growth of E. coli O157:H7. Significant growth inhibition was observed with concentration levels of 0.50% and higher. These results indicate that caffeine has potential as an antimicrobial agent for the treatment of E. coli O157:H7 infection and should be investigated further as a food additive to increase biosafety of consumable food products.