Developing phytochemical based dietary strategies to reduce listeriosis risks in humans

The overall goal of this seed proposal is to develop phytochemical based dietary strategies to reduce L. monocytogenes infections in humans.The first objective will investigate the efficacy of phytochemicals in reducing L. monocytogenes infection in a Guinea pig model. The phytochemicals (trans-cinnamaldehyde, carvacrol, eugenol) will be supplemented in the guinea pig diet at various concentrations followed by oral challenge with L. monocytogenes. At regular intervals, post-challenge, the colonization of L. monocytogenes in the gut and internal organs of guinea pigs will be assessed.The second objective will develop biopolymer nanoparticles of phytochemicals that have high specificity and efficacy in targeting and inactivating L. monocytogenes in the gut. Once biopolymer nanoparticles are developed, their anti-listerial efficacy will be investigated using standard bioassays, in-vitro.