Loading...
New Weapons to Fight Old Enemies: Novel Strategies for the (Bio)control of Bacterial Biofilms in the Food Industry
Citations
Altmetric:
Date
18/10/2016
Files
Loading...
fmicb-07-01641.pdf
Adobe PDF, 2.14 MB
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Citation
Coughlan LM, Cotter PD, Hill C and Alvarez-Ordóñez A (2016) New Weapons to Fight Old Enemies: Novel Strategies for the (Bio)control of Bacterial Biofilms in the Food Industry. Front. Microbiol. 7:1641. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01641.
Abstract
Biofilms are microbial communities characterized by their adhesion to solid surfaces and
the production of a matrix of exopolymeric substances, consisting of polysaccharides,
proteins, DNA and lipids, which surround the microorganisms lending structural integrity
and a unique biochemical profile to the biofilm. Biofilm formation enhances the ability
of the producer/s to persist in a given environment. Pathogenic and spoilage bacterial
species capable of forming biofilms are a significant problem for the healthcare and
food industries, as their biofilm-forming ability protects them from common cleaning
processes and allows them to remain in the environment post-sanitation. In the food
industry, persistent bacteria colonize the inside of mixing tanks, vats and tubing,
compromising food safety and quality. Strategies to overcome bacterial persistence
through inhibition of biofilm formation or removal of mature biofilms are therefore
necessary. Current biofilm control strategies employed in the food industry (cleaning
and disinfection, material selection and surface preconditioning, plasma treatment,
ultrasonication, etc.), although effective to a certain point, fall short of biofilm control.
Efforts have been explored, mainly with a view to their application in pharmaceutical
and healthcare settings, which focus on targeting molecular determinants regulating
biofilm formation. Their application to the food industry would greatly aid efforts to
eradicate undesirable bacteria from food processing environments and, ultimately, from
food products. These approaches, in contrast to bactericidal approaches, exert less
selective pressure which in turn would reduce the likelihood of resistance development.
A particularly interesting strategy targets quorum sensing systems, which regulate gene
expression in response to fluctuations in cell-population density governing essential
cellular processes including biofilm formation. This review article discusses the problems
associated with bacterial biofilms in the food industry and summarizes the recent
strategies explored to inhibit biofilm formation, with special focus on those targeting
quorum sensing.