New decontamination method based on caprylic acid in combination with citric acid or vanillin for eliminating Cronobacter sakazakii and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in reconstituted infant formula

The antimicrobial effects of natural compounds (caprylic acid, CA; citric acid, CTA; and vanillin, VNL) on the inactivation of Cronobacter sakazakii and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium were examined in reconstituted infant formula. The samples were treated with: 1) CA, CTA, or VNL alone (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, and 80 mM); 2) a combination of CA (10 and 20 mM) and CTA (15 and 30 mM); and 3) a combination of CA (10 and 20 mM) and VNL (15 and 30 mM), at mild feeding temperatures (40 °C and 45 °C), and the bacterial populations were assayed periodically (0, 5, 10, and 30 min). For both bacteria, the combined treatments had marked synergistic antimicrobial effects compared with the sum of the effects of each individual treatment. For example, there was no noticeable reduction (P > 0.05) in the population of C. sakazakii following an individual treatment with 20 mM CA or 30 mM CTA for 5 min at 40 °C, whereas the population was reduced to undetectable levels (reduction > 7.3 log CFU/ml) following treatment with a combination of CA and CTA (20 CA + 30 CTA for 5 min at 40 °C). As the temperature increased, the bactericidal effect was stronger at all time points with a synergistic effect. In a validation assay using a low level inoculum (approximately 103 CFU/ml) of desiccation-stressed bacteria in certain conditions, the combined treatments (e.g., CA 10 mM + CTA 30 mM for 5 min at 45 °C for C. sakazakii, and CA 10 mM + VNL 15 mM for 10 min at 45 °C for S. Typhimurium) completely destroyed the bacteria with no recovery of cell viability. Disintegration of the membrane and changes in the cell structure or morphology, such as plasmolysis and membrane disruption, were detected by flow cytometry and electron microscopy, respectively. These methods use antimicrobials that could be applied as food additives in infant formula, which may help to eliminate bacteria.