Biofilms are comprised of microorganisms embedded in a self-produced matrix that normally adhere to a surface. In the food processing environment they are suggested to be a source of contamination leading to food spoilage or the transmission of food-borne pathogens. To date, research has mainly focused on the presence of (biofilm-forming) bacteria within food processing environments, without measuring the associated biofilm matrix components.

Here, we assessed the presence of biofilms within a meat processing environment, processing pork, poultry and beef, by the detection of microorganisms and at least two biofilm matrix components. Sampling included 47 food contact surfaces and 61 non-food contact surfaces from eleven rooms within an Austrian meat processing plant, either during operation or after cleaning and disinfection. The 108 samples were analysed for the presence of microorganisms by cultivation and targeted quantitative real-time PCR based on 16S rRNA. Furthermore, the presence of the major matrix components carbohydrates, extracellular DNA and proteins was evaluated.

Overall, we identified ten biofilm hotspots, among them seven of which were sampled during operation and three after cleaning and disinfection. Five biofilms were detected on food contact surfaces (cutters and associated equipment and a screw conveyor) and five on non-food contact surfaces (drains and water hoses) resulting in 9.3 % of the sites being classified as biofilm positive. From these biofilm positive samples, we cultivated bacteria of 29 different genera. The most prevalent bacteria belonged to the genera Brochothrix (present in 80 % of biofilms), Pseudomonas and Psychrobacter (isolated from 70 % biofilms). From each biofilm we isolated bacteria from four to twelve different genera, indicating the presence of multi-species biofilms.

This work ultimately determined the presence of multi-species biofilms within the meat processing environment, thereby identifying various sources of potential contamination. Especially the identification of biofilms in water hoses and associated parts highlights the need of a frequent monitoring at these sites. The knowledge gained about the presence and composition of biofilms (i.e. chemical and microbiological) will help to prevent and reduce biofilm formation within food processing environments.

生物膜由嵌入正常情况下粘附于表面的自生基质中的微生物组成。在食品加工环境中，它们被认为是导致食品变质或食源性病原体传播的污染源。迄今为止，研究主要集中在食品加工环境中（生物膜形成）细菌的存在，而没有测量相关的生物膜基质成分。

在这里，我们通过检测微生物和至少两种生物膜基质成分，评估了在肉加工环境（加工猪肉，禽肉和牛肉）中生物膜的存在。在操作过程中或在清洁和消毒之后，从奥地利肉类加工厂的11个房间采样了47个食品接触表面和61个非食品接触表面。通过培养和基于16S rRNA的靶向定量实时PCR分析了108个样品中是否存在微生物。此外，评估了主要基质成分碳水化合物，细胞外DNA和蛋白质的存在。

总体而言，我们确定了十个生物膜热点，其中七个在操作过程中采样，三个在清洁和消毒后采样。在食品接触表面（切刀和相关设备以及螺旋输送机）上检测到五种生物膜，在非食品接触表面（脏物和水管）上检测到五种生物膜，导致9.3％的部位被归类为生物膜阳性。从这些生物膜阳性样品中，我们培养了29个不同属的细菌。最流行的细菌属于Brochothrix属（占生物膜的80％），假单胞菌和Psychrobacter（与70％生物膜分离）。我们从每个生物膜中分离出四个到十二个不同属的细菌，这表明存在多种生物膜。

这项工作最终确定了肉加工环境中存在多种生物膜，从而确定了各种潜在污染源。特别是对水管和相关部件中生物膜的鉴定突出了在这些位置经常进行监测的需求。关于生物膜的存在和组成（即化学和微生物学）的知识将有助于防止和减少食品加工环境中生物膜的形成。