β-Phenylethylamine as a Natural Food Additive Shows Antimicrobial Activity against on Ready-to-Eat Foods.

is an important foodborne pathogen and a major cause of death associated with bacterial foodborne infections. Control of on most ready-to-eat (RTE) foods remains a challenge. The potential use of β-phenylethylamine (PEA) as an organic antimicrobial against was evaluated in an effort to develop a new intervention for its control. Using a collection of 62 clinical and food-related isolates we determined the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of PEA against in different broth and agar media. Bologna type sausage (lyoner) and smoked salmon were used as food model systems to validate the in vitro findings. PEA had a growth inhibitory and bactericidal effect against both in in vitro experiments as well as on lyoner and smoked salmon. The MIC's ranged from 8 to 12.5 mg/mL. Furthermore, PEA also inhibited biofilm formation. Based on good manufacturing practices as a prerequisite, the application of PEA to RTE products might be an additional hurdle to limit growth thereby increasing food safety.