Biofilms in the food industry: problems and potential solutions

Contamination of food by spoilage and pathogenic micro-organisms costs the food industry millions of dollars annually. Much of this contamination may be attributed to the presence of biofilms in the processing plant. In this review, we examine the properties of micro-organisms and the surfaces of processing equipment that influence the formation of biofilms. Of particular concern is the increased resistance of biofilms to cleaning and disinfection processes. Alternative means of controlling biofilm development are described and some aspects where more information is required are identified.