Biofilm Risks

This chapter discusses biofilm formation, sampling, and detection methods, pathogens in biofilms, persistent and non-persistent microbes, prevention of biofilm formation and biofilm removal as well as future trends in biofilm control in the food industry. Microbes that inhabit contact and environmental sites in food processing are harmful because microbial communities in the wrong places lead to contamination of surfaces and of the product produced in the process.

Documented biofilms have been almost entirely composed of bacteria and the types of bacterial biofilms particularly related to pathogens. In addition to the problems in food industry, biofilm formation also causes problems in food-related systems. On the positive side, however, biofilms have also been applied successively in food-related processes.

In the food industry, equipment design plays the most important role in combating biofilm formations. The choice of materials and their surface treatments as well as roughness are important factors for inhibiting the formation of biofilm and making surfaces easier to clean. Treating surface materials so that they reject biofilms can be performed actively to remove or passively to retard biofilm reoccurrence.

The cleanliness of surfaces, training of personnel, and good manufacturing and design practices are the most important tools in combating biofilm problems in the food industry..