Inhibitory mechanisms of promising antimicrobials from plant byproducts: A review

Abstract

Plant byproducts and waste present enormous environmental challenges and an opportunity for valorization and industrial application. Due to consumer demands for natural compounds, the evident paucity of novel antimicrobial agents against foodborne pathogens, and the urgent need to improve the arsenal against infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), plant byproduct compounds have attracted significant research interest. Emerging research highlighted their promising antimicrobial activity, yet the inhibitory mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Therefore, this review summarizes the overall research on the antimicrobial activity and inhibitory mechanisms of plant byproduct compounds. A total of 315 natural antimicrobials from plant byproducts, totaling 1338 minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) (in μg/mL) against a broad spectrum of bacteria, were identified, and a particular emphasis was given to compounds with high or good antimicrobial activity (typically <100 μg/mL MIC). Moreover, the antimicrobial mechanisms, particularly against bacterial pathogens, were discussed in-depth, summarizing the latest research on using natural compounds to combat pathogenic microorganisms and AMR. Furthermore, safety concerns, relevant legislation, consumer perspective, and current gaps in the valorization of plant byproducts-derived compounds were comprehensively discussed. This comprehensive review covering up-to-date information on antimicrobial activity and mechanisms represents a powerful tool for screening and selecting the most promising plant byproduct compounds and sources for developing novel antimicrobial agents. K E Y W O R D S antimicrobial resistance, bacterial pathogens, inhibitory mechanisms, natural antimicrobial agents, plant byproducts Mengyan Qian and Balarabe B. Ismail contributed equally to this work.

Potential of Chinese Bayberry (Myrica rubra Sieb. et Zucc.) Fruit, Kernel, and Pomace as Promising Functional Ingredients for the Development of Food Products: A Comprehensive Review

“…By-products of CBF are derived from agro-industrial production, which are considered environmental problems. However, these residues have recently attracted the attention of many researchers as sources for recovering and isolating high-polyphenolic products, whereas these bioactive compounds can be utilized as functional ingredients (as food additives) and as natural antioxidant agents to replace their synthetic equivalents that have experienced increasing rejection (Qian et al, 2023;Rashwan et al, 2023a;.…”

“…On the contrary, Serratia marcescens was more sensitive to EA (IZD 30.46 mm) compared to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.25 mm) or Escherichia coli (13.21 mm) (Li et al, 2012). The antibacterial activity of CBF pomace extract may be because of the presence of dodecanol, phytol, furfural, and 4 H-pyrane-4-ol compounds in the extract, which work as antimicrobial compounds (Bhatt et al, 2020;Qian et al, 2023). Another study revealed that CBFE had the greatest IZD against nine tested foodborne pathogens, which reached 22.1 mm.…”

Super Antibacterial Capacity and Cell Envelope-Disruptive Mechanism of Ultrasonically Grafted N-Halamine PBAT/PBF Films against Escherichia coli

“…26 Additionally, positively charged surfaces were considered as promising defense against bacteria, possibly due to the strong electrostatic force at the interface between the material surface and the bacterial membrane. 27 Given the current developments in antimicrobial research underscoring the importance of the bacterial cell envelope as antibacterial agents' underexploited target, yet critical to developing resistance and adaption to environmental stresses, 28 these findings become insufficient to holistically unveil the specific antibacterial mechanism or pave the way for developing efficient contact materials.…”