Nanosilver Kills Food-Borne Pathogens at Low Concentrations
According to this clinical study published in the International Food Resource Journal in 2011, titled, “A study on the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of Nano Colloidal Silver on food-borne pathogens,” researchers found that “Nano colloidal silver can be a potential antimicrobial agent due to its low cost of production and high effectiveness in antimicrobial properties, which may find wide applications in various food industries to address food safety issues…Ten different concentration of Nano Colloidal Silver were tested against Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi, Vibrio cholera, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus…”
The researchers discovered that the Listeria monocytogenes pathogen was inhibited by colloidal silver at 24.58 ppm concentration, while Salmonell typhi and Staphylococcus aureus were inhibited at 23.75 ppm and 13.85 ppm concentrations respectively. Other pathogens, including E. coli, were inhibited at between 10.63 and 7.71 ppm concentrations of colloidal silver.
The researchers further concluded: “The antibacterial form of silver is the ions. Minute sub-particles [of nanosilver – ED] continuously emit a sufficient number of positively charged ions. These destroy the enzymes of the bacteria, destabilize the cell membrane, the cell plasma or the cell wall and prevent their reproduction. The bacteria do not survive this concentrated attack.” The researchers also concluded that “The results…indicated that Nano Colloidal Silver’s antibacterial effect is independent of acquisition of resistance by the bacteria against antibiotic drugs and thus be a potential antimicrobial agent to be used.” In other words, the nanosilver worked even against food poisoning pathogens that have developed resistance to antibiotic drugs.
