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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0PeerJ

Application of bacteriophages in the prevention of Bacillus cereus infection in potatoes

  • Xia Ji1
  • Ting Zhang2
  • Xiaoyu Hu1
  • Danmei Li1
  • Cuijie Zeng1
  • Ruoqian Zeng1
  • Weiwei Li3
  • Tianshu Cai3
  • Haiwei Xie1
  1. 1School of Life Science, Huizhou University, Huizhou, Guangdong, China
  2. 2Institute of Science and Technology Information, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, Beijing, China
  3. 3Huizhou Health Sciences Polytechnic, Huizhou, Guangdong, China
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Abstract

Background: The main component of potatoes is starch, which can serve as an easy breeding ground for Bacillus cereus during storage. This can decrease the shelf life of potatoes and pose food safety issues.

Methods: This study isolated several strains of B. cereus from rotten potatoes in the market as well as one of their bacteriophages, Bacillus phage PHZU0001, from municipal sewage. The genome of Bacillus phage PHZU0001 was sequenced. The phage sensitivity to eight B. cereus strains was detected using plaque assay. Stability assays assessed the phage’s thermal and pH tolerance.

Results: The results showed that this bacteriophage had wide host range against B. cereus of different strains. Based on its genome sequence, this bacteriophage is from the Herelleviridae family. The biological characteristics of this bacteriophage indicated that it maintains stability at temperatures ranging from 23 °C to 50 °C and at pH levels ranging from 5 to 9. Inoculation of Bacillus phage PHZU0001 in potatoes effectively inhibited infection by B. cereus .

Conclusion: This study identified a bacteriophage with a wide host range against B. cereus with potential applications in food storage and food safety.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{ji2026application,
  title = {{Application of bacteriophages in the prevention of Bacillus cereus infection in potatoes}},
  author = {Xia Ji and Ting Zhang and Xiaoyu Hu and Danmei Li and Cuijie Zeng and Ruoqian Zeng and Weiwei Li and Tianshu Cai and Haiwei Xie},
  journal = {PeerJ},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.7717/peerj.21857},
  url = {https://peerj.com/articles/21857},
  note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Application of bacteriophages in the prevention of Bacillus cereus infection in potatoes
AU  - Xia Ji
AU  - Ting Zhang
AU  - Xiaoyu Hu
AU  - Danmei Li
AU  - Cuijie Zeng
AU  - Ruoqian Zeng
AU  - Weiwei Li
AU  - Tianshu Cai
AU  - Haiwei Xie
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/15
JO  - PeerJ
DO  - 10.7717/peerj.21857
UR  - https://peerj.com/articles/21857
AB  - Background: The main component of potatoes is starch, which can serve as an easy breeding ground for Bacillus cereus during storage. This can decrease the shelf life of potatoes and pose food safety issues.  Methods: This study isolated several strains of B. cereus from rotten potatoes in the market as well as one of their bacteriophages, Bacillus phage PHZU0001, from municipal sewage. The genome of Bacillus phage PHZU0001 was sequenced. The phage sensitivity to eight B. cereus strains was detected using plaque assay. Stability assays assessed the phage’s thermal and pH tolerance.  Results: The results showed that this bacteriophage had wide host range against B. cereus of different strains. Based on its genome sequence, this bacteriophage is from the Herelleviridae family. The biological characteristics of this bacteriophage indicated that it maintains stability at temperatures ranging from 23 °C to 50 °C and at pH levels ranging from 5 to 9. Inoculation of Bacillus phage PHZU0001 in potatoes effectively inhibited infection by B. cereus .  Conclusion: This study identified a bacteriophage with a wide host range against B. cereus with potential applications in food storage and food safety.
SN  - 2167-8359
ER  -