Quorum sensing inhibitory of plant extracts on specific spoilage organisms and the potential utilization on the preservation of aquatic products

Microbiological contamination remains a significant challenge on the spoilage of aquatic products. The rapid proliferation of specific spoilage organisms (SSOs) in aquatic products can lead to the generation of harmful substances, thereby degrading the quality of these products. This underscores an urgent demand for innovative strategies to overcome this challenge. Quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs) emerge as a promising approach in that they can mitigate microbial contamination by disrupting bacterial communication mechanisms, especially in strains prevalent in aquatic products. The signaling molecules involved in quorum sensing (QS) in aquatic products play a critical role in regulating bacterial population behavior. Inhibiting the QS system of bacteria offers an innovative strategy for bacterial control, which does not rely on the direct killing of bacteria but rather on the attenuation of their spoilage effects in aquatic products by disrupting their collective behavior. Plant extracts employed as QSIs have demonstrated the potential to effectively prolong the shelf life of food products owing to their natural, environmentally friendly, and potentially antimicrobial properties, thus rendering them a promising solution for the preservation of aquatic products. This comprehensive review provides an in-depth analysis of common signaling molecules and QS systems in SSOs of aquatic products. Besides, it evaluates the potential of plant extracts as QSIs to prolong the shelf life of aquatic products by inhibiting their QS mechanisms. Additionally, this review also highlights the potential application of plant-derived QSIs in the preservation of aquatic products.