Effective control of microbial spoilage in soybeans by water-soluble ZnO nanoparticles.

The microbial spoilage of soybeans during soaking process severely deteriorates the quality of soybean products and threatens human health. Herein, water-soluble aminated zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were developed to effectively control the microbial spoilage in soybeans during soaking. ZnO NPs achieved significant inactivation of three dominant spoilage bacteria (bacillus cereus, bacillus megaterium and enterococcus faecium) isolated from the deteriorated soybeans, which could adhere to the bacterial surface and damage the cell wall/membrane, but also generate large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS).