School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2024;64(33):12574-12598. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2023.2254837. Epub 2023 Sep 12.
Bacteriophages (phages), highly prevalent in aquatic and terrestrial environments, have emerged as novel antimicrobial agents in food and agricultural systems. Owing to their efficient and unique infection mechanism, phages offer an alternative to antibiotic therapy as they specifically target their host bacteria without causing antibiotic resistance. However, the real-world applications of phages as antimicrobials are still limited due to their low survivability under harsh conditions and reduced antimicrobial efficacy. There is an unmet need to understand the challenges of using phages in food and agricultural systems and potential strategies to enhance their stability and delivery. This review overviews the challenges of using phages, including acidic conditions, improper temperatures, UV-light irradiation, desiccation, and inefficient delivery. It also summarizes novel strategies such as encapsulation, embedding, and immobilization, which enable improved viability and enhanced delivery. The protein capsid and nucleic acid components of phages are delicate and sensitive to physicochemical stresses. Incorporating phages into biocompatible materials can provide a physical barrier for improving phage stability and enhancing phage delivery, resulting in a high antimicrobial efficacy. In conclusion, the development of phage delivery systems can significantly overcome the challenges associated with phage treatments and reduce the risk of foodborne diseases in the industry.
噬菌体（phages）在水生和陆地环境中高度流行，已成为食品和农业系统中新型的抗菌剂。由于其高效和独特的感染机制，噬菌体作为抗生素治疗的替代品具有优势，因为它们专门针对宿主细菌，而不会引起抗生素耐药性。然而，由于噬菌体在恶劣条件下的存活率低和抗菌效果降低，其作为抗菌剂的实际应用仍然有限。需要了解在食品和农业系统中使用噬菌体的挑战以及增强其稳定性和传递的潜在策略。这篇综述概述了在食品和农业系统中使用噬菌体面临的挑战，包括酸性条件、不当温度、UV 光照射、干燥和低效传递。它还总结了新型策略，如封装、嵌入和固定化，这些策略可以提高噬菌体的存活率并增强其传递。噬菌体的蛋白质衣壳和核酸成分脆弱且对物理化学应激敏感。将噬菌体纳入生物相容性材料中可以为提高噬菌体稳定性和增强噬菌体传递提供物理屏障，从而实现高抗菌效果。总之，噬菌体传递系统的开发可以显著克服噬菌体治疗相关的挑战，并降低食品行业中食源性疾病的风险。
