|
Biofilms
A serious problem for those in the food
processing business are biofilms; a host of bacteria known to
attach to surfaces where they grow to form surface-associated
communities. Bacteria growing as biofilms behave differently than
planktonic populations. Generally more active and more
resistant to antimicrobial agents, the presence of biofilms can
cause contamination of product, leading to quality and safety
issues. Spoilage organisms such as Pseudomonas are
known to form biofilms, as well as pathogens such as Listeria
and Salmonella. If a biofilm becomes
established, these bacteria can leach into the
product.
 Licensed for use, ASM
MicrobeLibrary
Biofilms can form on many types of
surfaces. Stainless steel surfaces, plastic surfaces
and gaskets are common areas. Anywhere that has continuous
contact with product is suspect, especially where surface
irregularities occur. Detection of biofilms can be tricky
because they can enter a viable but non culturable state, meaning
they will not grow in media used to culture and detect their
presence. In addition, swabbing is not always sufficient to
remove the biofilm and the cells contained within it.
Prevention of biofilms is not necessarily easy
but biofilms can take several days to stabilize. If certain
guidelines are followed a problem should not
develop.
- Always pre-rinse, wash, post-rinse and sanitize
- Change gaskets every 4 to 6 weeks
- Remove pitted or uneven surfaces
- Ensure that cleaning and sanitizing solutions reach all
parts of equipment
- Inspect equipment after cleaning both visually and
microbiologically
|
- Do not sanitize equipment without cleaning first
- Do not run several short cleaning shifts in a row
- Do not run several very long production runs in a row
(greater than 10 hours)
|
|
|
Information on biofilms is easily found on the
internet. Here are a couple of links to interesting and
informative articles.
Top of page
|
