Combined bactericidal effect of linalool and pulsed light on Vibrio parahaemolyticus and its application to black tiger prawns.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus) is a foodborne pathogen from the sea that has a significant negative impact on the dietary safety and quality of aquatic products. In this study, the effects and mechanisms of the combined sterilization of V. parahaemolyticus by linalool and pulsed light (PL) were investigated in depth. The results showed that the treatment sequence of linalool and PL had an effect on the efficiency of combined sterilization, and the most suitable combined sterilization protocol was PL intervention (pulse energy of 1.17 J/cm2, pulse frequency of 5 Hz, pulses number of 60 times) after 30 min of linalool treatment at 0.425 mg/mL. This co-sterilization measure could break the bacterial cell wall and cell membrane and interfere with the bacterial nucleic acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism, which could lead to bacterial death. In addition, this combined sterilization strategy had good performance in the bacteriostatic freshness test of black tiger shrimp, which was significant in enhancing the storage period and maintaining the texture, color and moisture distribution of the shrimp meat. Overall, the linalool-PL combination is a promising combined antimicrobial strategy to improve food safety and extend the shelf life of seafood products.