Slightly Acidic Electrolyzed Water to Remove Methylobacterium mesophilicum, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Cladosporium cladosporioides in Households

(1) Background: Slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) is an effective and safe sterilizing solution. Its active component is hypochlorous acid (HOCl) which has been proved to exhibit a strong disinfectant activity. In this research we evaluated the effectiveness of SAEW in the removal of Methylobacterium mesophilicum, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Cladosporium cladosporioides, responsible for pink-colored biofilm and black mold in households. (2) Methods: Two concentrations of SAEW, 20 mg/L and 40 mg/L, were tested against M. mesophilicum, R. mucilaginosa and C. cladosporioides. In vitro experiments and mesh experiments were conducted to test the effectiveness of SAEW. (3) Results: The test results showed that 40 mg/L SAEW was effective in removing R. mucilaginosa and C. cladosporioides, with the population decreasing by approximately two orders of magnitude. For M. mesophilicum, resistance towards SAEW was observed; to obtain a 1.3 order of magnitude decrease in bacterial population, washing 5 times with 40 mg/L SAEW was necessary. Mesh experiments showed that SAEW can remove black mold; (4) Conclusions: Overall results indicated that SAEW was particularly effective for R. mucilaginosa and C. cladosporioides species commonly found in Japanese households.

Resistance of plants colonized by associative microorganisms to xenobiotics and phytopathogens

The aim of our work was to study the colonization of potato, tomato, rapeseed and camelina by associative microorganisms Methylobacterium mesophilicum, Pseudomonas aureofaciens BS1393 and Pseudomonas putida BS3701; examine the resistance of colonized plants to biotic (phytopathogens Erwinia carotovora and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) and abiotic (naphthalene, oil) stressors. Colonized plants were characterized by an increased growth rate (1.5–2.0 times higher) compared to non-colonized ones; flower-bud formation, flowering and fructification of the colonized plants also started earlier. An increased resistance of colonized plants to phytopathogens, naphthalene (100 mµ/ml) and oil (0.7 %) was noted, too. The level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in control plants on a medium with naphthalene or oil increased by 160–150%; in colonized plants – by 20–18 %. Colonized plants were more viable because of the presence of P. putida BS3701 on the roots.