AUTHOR=Yousef Mohamed M. , Zohri Abdel-Naser A. , Darwish Amira M. G. , Shamseldin Abdelaal , Kabeil Sanaa A. , Abdelkhalek Ahmed , Binsuwaidan Reem , Jaremko Mariusz , Alshwyeh Hussah Abdullah , Hafez Elsayed E. , Saied Essa M. 

TITLE=Exploring the antibacterial potential of plant extracts and essential oils against Bacillus thermophilus in beet sugar for enhanced sucrose retention: a comparative assessment and implications

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1219823

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1219823

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Sugar beet is one of the greatest sources for producing sugar worldwide. However, a group of bacteria grows on beets during the storage process, leading to a reduction in sucrose yield. Our study focused on identifying common bacterial species that grow on beets during manufacturing and contribute to sucrose loss. The ultimate goal was to find a potential antibacterial agent from various plant extracts and oils to inhibit the growth of these harmful bacteria and reduce sucrose losses. The screening of bacterial species that grow on beet revealed that a large group of mesophilic bacteria, such as <italic>Bacillus subtilis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus xylosus, Enterobacter amnigenus</italic>, and <italic>Aeromonas</italic> species, in addition to a dominant thermophilic species called <italic>Bacillus thermophilus</italic>, were found to be present during the manufacturing of beets. The application of 20 plant extracts and 13 different oils indicated that the extracts of <italic>Geranium gruinum, Datura stramonium</italic>, and <italic>Mentha spicata</italic> were the best antibacterials to reduce the growth of <italic>B</italic>. <italic>thermophilus</italic> with inhibition zones equal to 40, 39, and 35 mm, respectively. In contrast, the best active oils for inhibiting the growth of <italic>B</italic>. <italic>thermophilus</italic> were <italic>Mentha spicata</italic> and <italic>Ocimum bacilicum</italic>, with an inhibitory effect of 50 and 45 mm, respectively. RAPD-PCR with different primers indicated that treating sugar juice with the most effective oils against bacteria resulted in new recombinant microorganisms, confirming their roles as strong antibacterial products. The characterization of <italic>Mentha spicata</italic> and <italic>Ocimum bacilicum</italic> oils using GC/MS analysis identified <italic>cis</italic>-iso pulegone and hexadecanoic acid as the two main bioactive compounds with potential antibacterial activity. An analysis of five genes using DD-PCR that have been affected due to antibacterial activity from the highly effective oil from <italic>Mentha spicata</italic> concluded that all belonged to the family of protein defense. Our findings indicate that the application of these pure antibacterial plant extracts and oils would minimize the reduction of sucrose during sugar production.</p>