Abstract:In the present study, we investigated the acylated homoserine lactones(AHLs) based quorum sensing (QS) system in Aeromonas veronii bv. veronii isolated from fermented surimi, and the interruption of AHLs production, virulence factors and food spoilage potential by garlic extract, an anti-QS agent. The results showed that A. veronii bv. veronii was able to produce at least three types of AHLs, including C6-HSL, C7-HSL and C8-HSL. AHLs activities increased during the rapid growth stage, and then decreased when it entered the stable growth phase. The garlic extract treatment was found to attenuate the AHLs production and biofilm formation of A. veronii bv. veronii under minimum inhibitory concentration. At a garlic extract concentration of 1.20 mg/mL, the inhibition of β-galactosidase activity and biofilm formation reached 39.6% and 36.7%, respectively. After garlic treatment, genes including luxRI homologs (acuRI), ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), serine protease (ser), elastase (ahyB) and flagellin (fla) were down-regulated. Furthermore, it was inferred that the garlic extract could inhibit the spoilage potential of A. veronii bv. veronii, since the production of total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) and putrescine in surimi were decreased.