The risk of fruit juice contamination
caused by microorganisms,
especially Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris, has been reported worldwide. To develop cost-effective control
methods, in this work, flower-like magnetic molybdenum disulfide (Fe3O4@MoS2) nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated
by a facile two-step hydrothermal method. After further modifying
polyacrylic acid (PAA) on the surface of the NPs, epsilon-polylysine
(EPL) was immobilized via N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N-carbodiimide hydrochloride/N-hydroxysuccinimide
coupling reaction to obtain the Fe3O4@MoS2@PAA–EPL nanocomposites. Antibacterial results exhibited
that the synthesized nanocomposites showed effective antibacterial
activity against A. acidoterrestris with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.31 mg mL–1. Investigation on the antibacterial mechanism revealed that the
presence of nanocomposites caused damage and disruption of the bacterial
membrane through dent formation, resulting in the leakage of intracellular
protein. Moreover, the activity of dehydrogenase enzymes was inhibited
with the treatment of Fe3O4@MoS2@PAA–EPL,
causing the reduction of metabolic activity and adenosine triphosphate
levels in bacteria. Simultaneously, the presence of nanocomposites
improved intracellular reactive oxygen species levels, and this disrupted
the antioxidant defense system and caused oxidative damage to bacteria.
Furthermore, Fe3O4@MoS2@PAA–EPL
nanocomposites were confirmed to possess satisfactory biocompatibility
by performing in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo acute toxicity experiments.
The aim of this research was to develop a new pathway for the inhibition
of A. acidoterrestris in the juice
industry.