Nanobiotechnology fights foodborne illnesses

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new method to kill deadly pathogenic bacteria, including listeria, in food handling and packaging. The method offers an alternative to the use of antibiotics and chemical decontamination in food supply systems.

Using nature as their inspiration, the researchers successfully attached cell lytic enzymes to food-safe silica nanoparticles and created a coating with the demonstrated ability to selectively kill listeria. The coating kills listeria on contact, even at high concentrations, within a few minutes without affecting other bacteria. The lytic enzymes can also be attached to starch nanoparticles commonly used in food packaging.

This new method is modular and, by using different lytic enzymes, could be engineered to create surfaces that selectively target other deadly bacteria such as anthrax, said Jonathan Dordick, vice president for research and the Howard P. Isermann Professor at Rensselaer, who helped lead the study.

“In this study, we have identified a new strategy for selectively killing specific types of bacteria. Stable enzyme-based coatings or sprays could be used in food supply infrastructure - from picking equipment to packaging to preparation - to kill listeria before anyone has a chance to get sick from it,” said Ravi Kane, the P.K. Lashmet Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer.

“What’s most exciting is that we can adapt this technology for all different kinds of harmful or deadly bacteria.”

Results of the study are detailed in the paper ‘Enzyme-based Listericidal Nanocomposites’, published in the journal Scientific Reports. The paper is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep01584.