Application of atomic force microscopy in food microorganisms

Background: Microorganisms play an important role in the food industry. Knowledge of the surface structural and physical properties of food microorganism cells is crucial to gain a detailed understanding of their functions in the natural environment and to explore them efficiently in various food processes. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), as a non-invasive examination tool, has been widely used to image the surface ultrastructure and to probe the physical properties of food microorganisms. Scope and approach: In the current review, detailed applications of AFM in various food microorganisms are outlined, including surface imaging, biomolecular interactions, surface stiffness, and physicochemical properties, which have contributed to our knowledge of cell surface functions. The study emphasises the combination of AFM imaging with force determination, which added a new feature to the AFM technique; i.e., mapping of specific interactions. The combined use of AFM with other complementary techniques for a comprehensive description of cell surface is also reported. Conclusions: and key findings: AFM has given promising results and thus could be a powerful technique for surface characterisation at nanoscale resolution and could provide new insight into the structure-function relationship of microbial surfaces.