000168589 001__ 168589 000168589 005__ 20260211123813.0 000168589 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1016/j.fm.2026.105042 000168589 0248_ $$2sideral$$a148000 000168589 037__ $$aART-2026-148000 000168589 041__ $$aeng 000168589 100__ $$aLytras, Fotios 000168589 245__ $$aModelling gene-dependent PEF resistance of E. coli K-12 000168589 260__ $$c2026 000168589 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted 000168589 5203_ $$aThe current study investigated the antimicrobial mechanisms of Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) by evaluating the resistance of 22 Escherichia coli K12 mutants. Initial screening at PEF treatment (23 kV/cm, 53.3 μs, 95.4 kJ/kg), pH 7.0, revealed increased sensitivity (p < 0.05) of ΔclpB, ΔrpoS, and ΔdnaK expressed in Log10 reductions. Further inactivation kinetic analysis of 8 selected strains at pH 7.0 and 4.0 revealed a non-linear, polyphasic behaviour. This was described by a global modelling approach combining a log-linear primary model with a second-order polynomial model incorporating treatment time, total specific energy, and survival data as variables. The calculated model parameters (C1, C2, and C3) significantly differed (p < 0.05) among strains at pH 7.0, but not at pH 4.0. Furthermore, the calculated inactivation rates, kmax, varied in relation to the total specific energy. At pH 7.0, kmax was higher at low (0–40 kJ/kg) and high (140–180 kJ/kg) total specific energies, while at pH 4.0, it raised at high total specific energies (120–160 kJ/kg). In conclusion, E. coli response to PEF was dependant on the stress regulator rpoS. This response also involved genes which encode molecular chaperones such as dnaK, clpB and recA, related proteins for DNA repair. In conclusion, resistance to PEF was found to be influenced by pH and total specific energy, indicating that E. coli mounts a multifaceted response to PEF treatments, informing advanced microbial inactivation strategies for food safety. 000168589 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/955431/EU/Training Network Sustainable Technologies/TRANSIT$$9This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No H2020 955431-TRANSIT 000168589 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es 000168589 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 000168589 700__ $$aPsakis, Georgios 000168589 700__ $$aGatt, Ruben 000168589 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0003-3957-9091$$aRaso, Javier$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000168589 700__ $$aValdramidis, Vasilis 000168589 7102_ $$12008$$2780$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Produc.Animal Cienc.Ali.$$cÁrea Tecnología de Alimentos 000168589 773__ $$g137 (2026), 105042 [11 pp.]$$pFood microbiol.$$tFOOD MICROBIOLOGY$$x0740-0020 000168589 8564_ $$s4655113$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/168589/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada 000168589 8564_ $$s2663430$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/168589/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada 000168589 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:168589$$particulos$$pdriver 000168589 951__ $$a2026-02-11-10:27:48 000168589 980__ $$aARTICLE