Antibacterial activity of bioconverted eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) against foodborne pathogenic bacteria

The antimicrobial activity of bioconversion extracts of EPA and DHA against a range of foodborne pathogenic bacteria was investigated. The bioconverted EPA and DHA exhibited antibacterial activities against four Gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and S. aureus (KCTC 1916) and seven Gram-negative bacteria, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, E. coli O157:H7, E. coli O157:H7 (human), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enteritidis and S. typhimurium. The growth inhibition by both bioconverted EPA and DHA was similar against Gram-positive bacteria, while the bioconverted extract of DHA was more effective than EPA against Gram-negative bacteria as determined by minimum inhibitory concentration.