Biofilm if it were a film, it would be a horror movie. Biofilms pose a serious threat to food safety, quality, and your brand reputation. A persistent build-up of microorganisms that often forms as a slimy layer on a variety of food-contact surfaces and equipment.
Biofilm. It sounds innocuous enough. However, if it were a film - it would be a horror movie. An insidious threat just off screen, building slowly, almost invisibly, as the protagonists go about their daily business unaware. The culmination a typical ‘jump scare’ with the realization of how widespread and dangerous the situation has become.
Biofilms pose a serious threat to food safety, quality, and your brand reputation. Cells stick together to create a persistent build-up of cohesive groups - or ‘communities’ - of microorganisms. Often forming slimy layers on a variety of food-contact surfaces and equipment. They are an equal opportunity destroyer. “Biofilms typically consist of different types of bacteria because diversity gives them the advantage of being able to form a thicker and more stable biofilm.”[1]
Biofilms have become: “a major environmental microbiology concern in the food industry over the last 30 years… they are responsible for more than 20% of food poisoning cases.”[2] They contaminate food products, cause spoilage, and also harbor some of the main food pathogen bacteria, such as: Listeria spp., Salmonella spp., E. coli, and potentially harmful yeasts.
Forming a protective shield around themselves helps resist, and in some cases neutralize, sanitizers and disinfectants - especially if the biofilm deposit has become established. The complete horror of biofilms is when they enable cross contamination: “consequently diminishing effectiveness of food processing technologies, compromising microbial food quality and food safety, and leading to sizable economic losses.”[3]
It’s vital to prevent and control biofilm. With quality issues not always obvious, effective, verified, and validated cleaning is critical, combined with equally effective water treatment. All phases must be followed at the recommended frequency to prevent formation.
If you find biofilm, take immediate action to decontaminate with both physical and chemical treatment. It’s an extremely difficult task. Even though they’re common, removing each is a unique challenge depending where you find them in your facility. They require specific chemistry, CIP or OPC programs, and cleaning frequency to achieve removal, with tailored cleaning procedures for each piece of equipment.
But it doesn’t end there, as: “biofilms can slough off, move to surrounding environments, elevate intermediary and final product microbial loads, and reduce shelf life.”[3] And, it’s not always the same with each new franchise. There is a constant battle, as bacteria’s propensity to create biofilms keeps them one step ahead of the science developing solutions: “the ability of bacteria to form biofilms is greater than the discoveries… they must be eliminated.”[4] There is also a need for more research to understand their anatomy, and develop more novel strategies of control.
To ensure the best script for your biofilm, you’ll need a co-star with a range of broad-spectrum, water-dispersible microbiological control agents, including oxidizing biocides and non-oxidizing biocides. And for good measure unique monitoring and control solutions.
A world class act that delivers a comprehensive approach from hygiene and chemical expertise, hand-in-hand with water treatment solutions which address the full range of soils, cuts cleaning time and downtime, reduces water, energy and effluent costs, operator intervention, and your TCO. That optimizes chemical use and protects your assets. While delivering an approach that also improves system and operational performance and efficiency; and ensures exacting product quality control with broad regulatory compliance.
KPIs and an in-depth microbiology analysis can provide a baseline of current microbiological results. While regular sampling and checking for specific results help identify any infection. With this long-term analysis and measurement you can be confident of retaining a competitive edge to your costs, and achieving sustainability targets, while maintaining quality and hygiene to consistently reproduce the highest quality food products.
[1] Bacterial Attachment to Food and Food Processing Surfaces Can Lead to Biofilm Formation | Home & Garden Information Center (clemson.edu)
[2] IJERPH | Free Full-Text | Microbial Biofilms in the Food Industry—A Comprehensive Review (mdpi.com)
[3] Bacterial Biofilms: Formation, Prevention, and Control - IFT.org
[4] IJERPH | Free Full-Text | Microbial Biofilms in the Food Industry—A Comprehensive Review (mdpi.com)