Targeting Bacterial Quorum Sensing: Insights into Quorum Sensing Inhibitors and Innovative Antimicrobial Strategies for Enhancing Food Safety and Combating Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance transmission and the increasing diversity of antibiotic resistance phenotypes pose growing threats to food safety and public health. Foodborne bacteria employ quorum sensing (QS) to regulate virulence expression and biofilm formation, enhancing pathogenicity and drug resistance. Therefore, targeting QS is regarded as a promising strategy to control bacteria. Quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs) are highly promising for addressing bacterial resistance, as they do not rely on the direct killing of bacteria but rather on attenuation of bacterial spoilage effects in food by disrupting their group behavior. This review focuses on natural and synthetic compounds with QSI activity, elaborating their mechanisms and potential as antimicrobial agents. Additionally, the review proposes innovative antimicrobial strategies, including nanotechnology-based delivery systems, combination with phage, CRISPR-Cas technology, and multitargeted approaches cooperated with existing QSIs. These integrated strategies are designed to overcome challenges, providing novel methodologies for controlling bacterial contamination and infections while holding broad application prospects.