Biofilms and the food industry

In the past, interest in biofilms was limited to research related to water distribution systems, waste water treatment and dental plaques. Biofilm has become a more popular research topic in many other areas in recent years including food safety. Biofilm formation can compromise the sanitation of food surfaces and environmental surfaces by spreading detached organisms to other areas of processing plants. Unfortunately, these detached organisms are not similar to normal microorganisms suspended in an aquatic environment but are more resistant to several stresses or microbial inactivation including some food preservation methods. Microstructures of biofilms as revealed by different types of microscopic techniques showed that biofilms are highly complex and consist of many symbiotic organisms, some of which are human pathogens. This article reviewed the process of biofilm formation, the significance of biofilms on food or food contact surfaces, their ability to protect foodborne pathogens from environmental stresses and recent methods for the study of biofilms on food contact surfaces.