Biofilms in the Spotlight: Detection,Quantification, and Removal Methods |
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Authors: | Fabián González‐Rivas Carolina Ripolles‐Avila Fabio Fontecha‐Umaña Abel Guillermo Ríos‐Castillo José Juan Rodríguez‐Jerez |
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Affiliation: | 1. Faculty of Health Sciences at Manresa, Univ. of Vic - Central Univ. of Catalonia, Manresa, Spain.;2. Hygiene and Food Inspection Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Dept. of Food and Animal Science, Univ. Autònoma de Barcelona, CP 08193, Barcelona, Spain |
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Abstract: | Microorganisms can colonize and subsequently form biofilms on surfaces, which protect them from adverse conditions and make them more resistant than their planktonic free‐living counterparts. This is a major concern in the food industry because the presence of biofilms has significant implications for microbial food contamination and, therefore, for the transmission of foodborne diseases. Adequate hygienic conditions and various preventive and control strategies have consequently been developed to ensure the provision of safe, good‐quality food with an acceptable shelf‐life. This review focuses on the significance of biofilms in the food industry by describing the factors that favor their formation. The interconnected process among bacteria known as “quorum sensing,” which plays a significant role in biofilm development, is also described. Furthermore, we discuss recent strategic methods to detect, quantify, and remove biofilms formed by pathogenic bacteria associated with food processing environments, focusing on the complexity of these microbial communities. |
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Keywords: | bacterial adhesion biofilms control strategies food industry quorum sensing |
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