Antiviral Activity of Allyl Isothiocyanate Against Infectious Viruses

The effects of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) on enteric viruses, specifically hepatitis A virus (HAV) and murine norovirus (MNV) as a norovirus surrogate, were evaluated at different concentrations, temperatures, and exposure time. AITC at 0.1 and 0.5% was mixed with each virus and incubated at 10, 25, and 37 °C for 2 h or overnight. AITC demonstrated a concentration-, temperature-, and time-dependent antiviral effect, with the lowest concentration resulting in a modest decrease in viral titer. However, at the highest concentration and 37 °C during overnight incubation, reductions of 3.75 log TCID50/mL for MNV and below the limit of detection for HAV were reported. Additionally, efficacy of AITC was evaluated on human norovirus (HuNoV) GI suspensions using an in situ capture quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method. The results indicated that HuNoVs are susceptible to AITC at 37 °C, which partially inhibits the interaction between the viral capsid and its receptor. Furthermore, AITC was tested as a natural disinfectant for produce with treatment times of 15 and 30 min, with no statistically significant changes in viral titers. Although further optimization of AITC application is required, these findings suggest that AITC has potential as a tool to reduce enteric virus contamination on food and food-contact surfaces.