Antifungal photodynamic inactivation with curcumin

Abstract

Food-borne diseases caused by contaminated food products continue to pose a threat to public health, as well as causing major economic losses and a negative impact on companies’ reputation among consumers. Conventionally, various synthetic fungicides are used in the horticulture industry to reduce and inhibit the postharvest fungal contamination and decay in fruits and vegetables. Photodynamic treatment has been recently introduced to food industry as a promising green and cost-effective decontamination technique with no reports on toxic residues and microbial resistance. There are various natural photosensitizers that have been studied, among which curcumin showed to be effective against a wide spectrum of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms including fungal spores. The antimicrobial activity is an effect of reactive oxygen species generated via photoexcitation of photosensitizer that is exposed to light. The application and efficiency of photodynamic treatment in various food matrices against a broad range of microorganisms demonstrates the potential of using this technology in food industry.