Abstract:Linalool is derived from natural plants and has an antibacterial effects, although its mechanism of action against food-borne pathogenic bacteria remains unclear. The antibacterial mechanism of linalool against Escherichia coli was studied through examining the changes in morphology, cell contents and ATP of E. coli induced by the linalool treatment. The results showed that linalool exhibited good antibacterial activity against E. coli, and according to the growth curve, the growth of E. coli at 1×MIC and 2×MIC was completely inhibited. The results of cell morphology observations showed that the membrane potential decreased by almost 85%, with the intracellular protein leaked up to 238.64 μg/mL, the nucleic acid leaked almost 81%, and the ATP content decreasing to 18.46 μmoL/L. These results indicated that the inhibition started from the cell membrane. The hydrophobic effect of linalool enabled it to aggregate on the cell membrane, thereby affecting the structure and function of the cell membrane: increasing the permeability of the cell membrane, losing cell content, decreasing ATP content, causing cell dysfunction and cell death. Linalool has a remarkable antibacterial effect, and a new natural antibacterial agent is expected.
