Abstract
Biofilm formation (BF) and production in the food processing industry (FPI) is a continual threat to food safety and quality. Various bacterial pathogens possess the ability to adhere and produce biofilms on stainless steel (SS) in the FPI due to flagella, curli, pili, fimbrial adhesins, extra polymeric substances, and surface proteins. The facilitating environmental conditions (temperature, pressure, variations in climatic conditions), SS properties (surface energy, hydrophobicity, surface roughness, topography), type of raw food materials, pre-processing, and processing conditions play a significant role in the enhancement of bacterial adhesion and favorable condition for BF. Furthermore, biofilm formers can tolerate different sanitizers and cleaning agents due to the constituents, concentration, contact time, bacterial cluster distribution, and composition of bacteria within the biofilm. Also, bacterial biofilms’ ability to produce various endotoxins and exotoxins when consumed cause food infections and intoxications with serious health implications. It is thus crucial to understand BF’s repercussions and develop effective interventions against these phenomena that make persistent pathogens difficult to remove in the food processing environment.
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The authors are grateful to students and staff in the Food and Enzyme Laboratories, Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Durban University of Technology for their support.
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This work is based on the research supported in part by the National Research Foundation, South Africa, for the grant, Unique Grant no. 118910.
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SD, TAA, and OAI made significant contributions to the idea of this review and wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript to ensure accuracy and proper report of the work.
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Dula, S., Ajayeoba, T.A. & Ijabadeniyi, O.A. Bacterial biofilm formation on stainless steel in the food processing environment and its health implications. Folia Microbiol 66, 293–302 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-021-00864-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-021-00864-2