In this study, the antibacterial activities of ZnO with various morphologies were evaluated. A possible mechanism of antibacterial activities of dumbbell like ZnO was proposed based on the microscopic studies of the interaction between bacterial and dumbbell like ZnO, and also based on the antibacterial activity of ZnO enveloped with semi permeable membrane. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) wastewater and soy sauce wastewater were treated by M. purpureus using ZnO/calcium alginate carrier. The attached and suspended biomass in MSG wastewater reached to 228 mg/g and 74 mg/g, while, the attached and suspended biomass in soy sauce wastewater was 130 mg/g and 66 mg/g, respectively. The levels of chemical oxide demand (COD), biological oxide demand (BOD5), SO4(2-) and NH3-N in the treated MSG wastewater were distinctive lower than those detected in the raw wastewater. This ZnO/calcium alginate carrier method could be utilized as an alternative to the traditional anaerobic/aerobic methods in the application of food processing wastewater treatment.