Biofilm Formation of Foodborne Pathogens and their Control in Food Processing Facilities

Tong Zhao

doi:10.4172/2476-2059.1000110

Abstract

Microorganism can form biofilm to adapt various hard-to-live conditions for long-term survival. Foodborne pathogens can seed in the biofilm to escape the regular sanitation practice, especially in floor drains. Food processing facilities generally use chlorine-based, QACs-based, or phenolic-based sanitizers in their sanitation practice. The advantage of these sanitizers is cheap and effective and the disadvantage is its efficacy can be reduced by a lot of factors and easy to produce resistance. New novel bactericide as an alternative is needed when efficacy of these traditional sanitizers is substantially reduced. For control of Listeria monocytogenes in floor drain contamination, especially for ready-to-eat processing plant the procedure of biocontrol is needed because floor drain is too deep to reach. The product of biocontrol contains beneficial bacteria and these beneficial bacteria can live in the biofilm at harsh environment and these beneficial bacteria consistently produces various bacteriocins to kill L. monocytogenes and ensures floor drain without the contamination of L. monocytogenes for long-term.

Highlights

For survival under harsh environment, such as bad nutrition, irregular heat, and various chemicals, bacteria can form biofilms composed of single or multi layers of microorganisms embedded in their own extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) which associated with a solid surface [1,2,3,4,5]
Researches have documented that L. monocytogenes can survived long-term in floor drain and the genotype of L. monocytogenes isolate responsible for recent foodborne outbreak has exactly matched with the isolate of L. monocytogenes isolated many year ago
Two methods are used for elimination of L. monocytogenes in floor drain

Summary

Introduction

For survival under harsh environment, such as bad nutrition, irregular heat, and various chemicals, bacteria can form biofilms composed of single or multi layers of microorganisms embedded in their own extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) which associated with a solid surface [1,2,3,4,5]. L. monocytogenes is problem for ready-to-eat (RTE) food during processing at a modern low temperature processing plant [1]. The floor drains have been identified as the main contamination source. Researches have documented that L. monocytogenes can survived long-term in floor drain and the genotype of L. monocytogenes isolate responsible for recent foodborne outbreak has exactly matched with the isolate of L. monocytogenes isolated many year ago.

Results

Conclusion