Abstract
Biofilms provide a protective environment for pathogens such as Campylobacter jejuni, the most prevalent foodborne pathogen, and biofilm formation can enhance bacterial survival in hostile environments. Adhesion of bacteria to the different materials of industrial surfaces is the first step in biofilm formation. Modulation of bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation thus represent important targets in alternative control strategies for reduction of pathogens in food-processing environments. With the high prevalence of C. jejuni and the lack of effective control measures, new control strategies are needed to block adhesion and biofilm formation on food contact surfaces in the food industry, with a focus here on natural antimicrobial phytochemicals. Plants remain a poorly recognized yet vast source of such antimicrobials. Valuable phytochemicals can be obtained directly from plant materials but also from agro-food by-products and waste materials. These materials represent a source of important plant bioactive phytochemicals that are effective for prevention of bacterial adhesion. In this review, we will focus on the anti-adhesion activities of phytochemicals targeted against C. jejuni, on the appropriate methodologies to determine anti-adhesion effects of phytochemicals, on the mechanisms of C. jejuni adhesion, and thus possible targets for reduction and control of this foodborne pathogen in food processing environments.
Highlights
Many bacterial species have developed the unique survival strategy of biofilm formation, which provides selective advantages over their planktonic and freeexisting cells
Further formation of the mature biofilm in its three-dimensional (3D) architecture increases the adhesion between the bacteria and with the surface, and protects the bacteria from radiation damage, dehydration, pH fluctuations and antimicrobial compounds (Flemming et al 2016)
C. jejuni can be used as a model to study the mechanisms that these bacteria use to adhere to surfaces, which is crucial for the application of novel control strategies
Summary
Many bacterial species have developed the unique survival strategy of biofilm formation, which provides selective advantages over their planktonic and freeexisting cells. We will provide a literature overview of methods used to determine anti-adhesion effects of phytochemicals on Campylobacter spp. adhering to abiotic surfaces. C. jejuni can be used as a model to study the mechanisms that these bacteria use to adhere to surfaces, which is crucial for the application of novel control strategies These antiadhesion strategies will allow modulation of Campylobacter spp. virulence and elimination of infections at the early stages of bacterial adhesion. One of the most commonly used methods to determine anti-adhesion and anti-biofilm activities is based on biomass reduction These studies used different dyes, such as crystal violet (Klancnik et al.2017b) and safranin (Castillo et al 2014), which bind non- to negatively charged surface molecules, and bind to both the bacteria and the extracellular biofilm components. There have only been two methods used in the literature
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