scholarly journals Bacterial Biofilms and Their Implications in Pathogenesis and Food Safety

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2117
Author(s):  
Xingjian Bai ◽  
Cindy H. Nakatsu ◽  
Arun K. Bhunia

Biofilm formation is an integral part of the microbial life cycle in nature. In food processing environments, bacterial transmissions occur primarily through raw or undercooked foods and by cross-contamination during unsanitary food preparation practices. Foodborne pathogens form biofilms as a survival strategy in various unfavorable environments, which also become a frequent source of recurrent contamination and outbreaks of foodborne illness. Instead of focusing on bacterial biofilm formation and their pathogenicity individually, this review discusses on a molecular level how these two physiological processes are connected in several common foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli. In addition, biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is discussed because it aids the persistence of many foodborne pathogens forming polymicrobial biofilms on food contact surfaces, thus significantly elevating food safety and public health concerns. Furthermore, in-depth analyses of several bacterial molecules with dual functions in biofilm formation and pathogenicity are highlighted.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Yuan ◽  
Fedrick C Mgomi ◽  
Zhenbo Xu ◽  
Ni Wang ◽  
Guoqing He ◽  
...  

Biofilms constitute a protective barrier for foodborne pathogens to survive under stressful food processing conditions. Therefore, studies into the development and control of biofilms by novel techniques are vital for the food industry. In recent years, foodomics techniques have been developed for biofilm studies, which contributed to a better understanding of biofilm behavior, physiology, composition, as well as their response to antibiofilm methods at different molecular levels including genes, RNA, proteins and metabolic metabolites. Throughout this review, the main studies where foodomics tools used to explore the mechanisms for biofilm formation, dispersal and elimination were reviewed. The data summarized from relevant studies are important to design novel and appropriate biofilm elimination methods for enhancing food safety at any point of food processing lines.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanna M. Sillankorva ◽  
Hugo Oliveira ◽  
Joana Azeredo

The interest for natural antimicrobial compounds has increased due to alterations in consumer positions towards the use of chemical preservatives in foodstuff and food processing surfaces. Bacteriophages fit in the class of natural antimicrobial and their effectiveness in controlling bacterial pathogens in agro-food industry has led to the development of different phage products already approved by USFDA and USDA. The majority of these products are to be used in farm animals or animal products such as carcasses, meats and also in agricultural and horticultural products. Treatment with specific phages in the food industry can prevent the decay of products and the spread of bacterial diseases and ultimately promote safe environments in animal and plant food production, processing, and handling. This is an overview of recent work carried out with phages as tools to promote food safety, starting with a general introduction describing the prevalence of foodborne pathogens and bacteriophages and a more detailed discussion on the use of phage therapy to prevent and treat experimentally induced infections of animals against the most common foodborne pathogens, the use of phages as biocontrol agents in foods, and also their use as biosanitizers of food contact surfaces.


Author(s):  
Linda Verrill ◽  
Marc Boyer ◽  
Laurie Williams ◽  
Jessica Otto ◽  
Amy Lando ◽  
...  

Properly executed handwashing by food employees can greatly minimize the risk of transmitting foodborne pathogens to food and food contact surfaces in restaurants. However, food employee handwashing is often not done correctly nor does it occur as often as it should. The purpose of this study was to assess the relative impact of 1) the convenience and accessibility of handwashing facilities; 2) the maintenance of handwashing supplies, 3) multi-unit status, 4) having a Certified Food Protection Manager, and 5) having a Food Safety Management System on compliance with proper handwashing. Results showed marked differences in handwashing behaviors between fast-food and full-service restaurants. Forty-five percent of fast-food restaurants and 57% of full-service restaurants were found to be out of compliance for washing hands correctly. Fifty-seven percent of fast-food establishments and 78% of full-service establishments were out-of-compliance for employee hands being washed when required. Logistic regression results point toward the benefits of accessibility and maintenance of the handwashing sink and food establishments having a Food Safety Management System to increase the likelihood of employees washing hands when they are supposed to and washing them correctly when they do.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1364
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Skowron ◽  
Karolina Jadwiga Skowron ◽  
Justyna Bauza-Kaszewska ◽  
Ewa Wałecka-Zacharska ◽  
Joanna Kwiecińska-Piróg ◽  
...  

The decontamination of food contact surfaces is a major problem for the food industry. The radiant catalytic ionization (RCI) method, based on the ionization process, may be an alternative for conventional decontamination procedures. The advantage of this technique is the possibility of its application to household refrigerating appliances and industrial cold rooms. This study aimed to assess the effect of RCI on the reduction of Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella Enteritidis from the biofilms formed on a glass surface under refrigeration conditions. Bacterial biofilms were exposed to RCI for 24 h and after 12 (variant I) and 72 h (variant II) of the glass surface contamination. In the last variant (III), the contaminated meat was placed on the glass surface in the refrigerator and subjected to RCI treatment for 72 h. The significantly highest values of absolute reduction efficiency coefficient E were found for the bacterial attachment stage of biofilm formation (variant I). The research proves the efficiency of the RCI method in the reduction of bacteria number from a glass surface.


2018 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 582-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
HYE RI JEON ◽  
MI JIN KWON ◽  
KI SUN YOON

ABSTRACT Biofilm formation on food contact surfaces is a potential hazard leading to cross-contamination during food processing. We investigated Listeria innocua biofilm formation on various food contact surfaces and compared the washing effect of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) at 30, 50, 70, and 120 ppm with that of 200 ppm of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) on biofilm cells. The risk of L. innocua biofilm transfer and growth on food at retail markets was also investigated. The viability of biofilms that formed on food contact surfaces and then transferred cells to duck meat was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. L. innocua biofilm formation was greatest on rubber, followed by polypropylene, glass, and stainless steel. Regardless of sanitizer type, washing removed biofilms from polypropylene and stainless steel better than from rubber and glass. Among the various SAEW concentrations, washing with 70 ppm of SAEW for 5 min significantly reduced L. innocua biofilms on food contact surfaces during food processing. Efficiency of transfer of L. innocua biofilm cells was the highest on polypropylene and lowest on stainless steel. The transferred biofilm cells grew to the maximum population density, and the lag time of transferred biofilm cells was longer than that of planktonic cells. The biofilm cells that transferred to duck meat coexisted with live, injured, and dead cells, which indicates that effective washing is essential to remove biofilm on food contact surfaces during food processing to reduce the risk of foodborne disease outbreaks.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 206-213
Author(s):  
Rita Singh ◽  
Antaryami Singh

Food irradiation is a well-established and effective technology for food processing and preservation. The technology aids in reducing food losses and ensuring food safety by elimination of pathogens and parasites causing illness and death. Radiation treatment can be applied to agricultural produce and animal food products to get extended shelf life with improved microbiological safety and quality. Irradiating food can greatly reduce illness from foodborne pathogens thereby preventing morbidity and mortality. Various national and international food and health organisations have endorsed and supported the safety of food and foodstuffs subjected to ionising radiation based on the research and testing data of more than 50 year. A review is presented on the historical developments of food irradiation technology, radiation sources for treatment of food and, the safety and wholesomeness of foods processed by ionising radiation.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 5556
Author(s):  
Daniella Alejandra Pompa-Monroy ◽  
Paulina Guadalupe Figueroa-Marchant ◽  
Syed G. Dastager ◽  
Meghana Namdeo Thorat ◽  
Ana Leticia Iglesias ◽  
...  

Electrospun nanofibers are used for many applications due to their large surface area, mechanical properties, and bioactivity. Bacterial biofilms are the cause of numerous problems in biomedical devices and in the food industry. On the other hand, these bacterial biofilms can produce interesting metabolites. Hence, the objective of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of poly (Ɛ- caprolactone)/Curcumin (PCL/CUR) nanofibers to promote bacterial biofilm formation. These scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which showed homogeneous fibers with diameters between 441–557 nm; thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA and DSC) demonstrated high temperature resilience with degradation temperatures over >350 °C; FTIR and 1H-NMR serve as evidence of CUR incorporation in the PCL fibers. PCL/CUR scaffolds successfully promoted the formation of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. These results will be valuable in the study of controlled harvesting of pathogenic biofilms as well as in metabolites production for biotechnological purposes.


2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (23) ◽  
pp. 7376-7382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Kvist ◽  
Viktoria Hancock ◽  
Per Klemm

ABSTRACT Bacterial biofilms cause numerous problems in health care and industry; notably, biofilms are associated with a large number of infections. Biofilm-dwelling bacteria are particularly resistant to antibiotics, making it hard to eradicate biofilm-associated infections. Bacteria rely on efflux pumps to get rid of toxic substances. We discovered that efflux pumps are highly active in bacterial biofilms, thus making efflux pumps attractive targets for antibiofilm measures. A number of efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) are known. EPIs were shown to reduce biofilm formation, and in combination they could abolish biofilm formation completely. Also, EPIs were able to block the antibiotic tolerance of biofilms. The results of this feasibility study might pave the way for new treatments for biofilm-related infections and may be exploited for prevention of biofilms in general.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 403
Author(s):  
Angela Ma ◽  
Norman Neumann ◽  
Linda Chui

Despite the effectiveness of thermal inactivation processes, Escherichiacoli biofilms continue to be a persistent source of contamination in food processing environments. E. coli strains possessing the locus of heat resistance are a novel food safety threat and raises the question of whether these strains can also form biofilms. The objectives of this study were to determine biofilm formation in heat resistant E. coli isolates from clinical and environmental origins using an in-house, two-component apparatus and to characterize biofilm formation-associated genes in the isolates using whole genome sequencing. Optimal conditions for biofilm formation in each of the heat resistant isolates were determined by manipulating inoculum size, nutrient concentration, and temperature conditions. Biofilm formation in the heat resistant isolates was detected at temperatures of 24 °C and 37 °C but not at 4 °C. Furthermore, biofilm formation was observed in all environmental isolates but only one clinical isolate despite shared profiles in biofilm formation-associated genes encoded by the isolates from both sources. The circulation of heat resistant E. coli isolates with multi-stress tolerance capabilities in environments related to food processing signify that such strains may be a serious food safety and public health risk.


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