Diverse microorganisms are able to grow on food matrixes and along food industry infrastructures. This growth may give rise to biofilms. This review summarizes, on the one hand, the current knowledge regarding the main bacterial species responsible for initial colonization, maturation and dispersal of food industry biofilms, as well as their associated health issues in dairy products, ready-to-eat foods and other food matrixes. These human pathogens include Bacillus cereus (which secretes toxins that can cause diarrhea and vomiting symptoms), Escherichia coli (which may include enterotoxigenic and even enterohemorrhagic strains), Listeria monocytogenes (a ubiquitous species in soil and water that can lead to abortion in pregnant women and other serious complications in children and the elderly), Salmonella enterica (which, when contaminating a food pipeline biofilm, may induce massive outbreaks and even death in children and elderly), and Staphylococcus aureus (known for its numerous enteric toxins). On the other hand, this review describes the currently available biofilm prevention and disruption methods in food factories, including steel surface modifications (such as nanoparticles with different metal oxides, nanocomposites, antimicrobial polymers, hydrogels or liposomes), cell-signaling inhibition strategies (such as lactic and citric acids), chemical treatments (such as ozone, quaternary ammonium compounds, NaOCl and other sanitizers), enzymatic disruption strategies (such as cellulases, proteases, glycosidases and DNAses), non-thermal plasma treatments, the use of bacteriophages (such as P100), bacteriocins (such us nisin), biosurfactants (such as lichenysin or surfactin) and plant essential oils (such as citral- or carvacrol-containing oils).

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Biofilms in the Food Industry: Health Aspects and Control Methods

Bacterial infection is one of the top ten leading causes of death globally and the worst killer in low-income countries. The overuse of antibiotics leads to ever-increasing antibiotic resistance, posing a severe threat to human health. Recent advances in nanotechnology provide new opportunities to address the challenges in bacterial infection by killing germs without using antibiotics. Antibiotic-free antibacterial strategies enabled by advanced nanomaterials are presented. Nanomaterials are classified on the basis of their mode of action: nanomaterials with intrinsic or light-mediated bactericidal properties and others that serve as vehicles for the delivery of natural antibacterial compounds. Specific attention is given to antibacterial mechanisms and the structure-performance relationship. Practical antibacterial applications employing these antibiotic-free strategies are also introduced. Current challenges in this field and future perspectives are presented to stimulate new technologies and their translation to fight against bacterial infection.

https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:83fdbcc/UQ83fdbcc_OA.pdf

Antibiotic-Free Antibacterial Strategies Enabled by Nanomaterials: Progress and Perspectives.

Alternatives to Conventional Antibiotics in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance

Fighting bacterial resistance is one of the concerns in modern days, as antibiotics remain the main resource of bacterial control. Data shows that for every antibiotic developed, there is a microorganism that becomes resistant to it. Natural polymers, as the source of antibacterial agents, offer a new way to fight bacterial infection. The advantage over conventional synthetic antibiotics is that natural antimicrobial agents are biocompatible, non-toxic, and inexpensive. Chitosan is one of the natural polymers that represent a very promising source for the development of antimicrobial agents. In addition, chitosan is biodegradable, non-toxic, and most importantly, promotes wound healing, features that makes it suitable as a starting material for wound dressings. This paper reviews the antimicrobial properties of chitosan and describes the mechanisms of action toward microbial cells as well as the interactions with mammalian cells in terms of wound healing process. Finally, the applications of chitosan as a wound-dressing material are discussed along with the current status of chitosan-based wound dressings existing on the market.

Chitosan as a Wound Dressing Starting Material: Antimicrobial Properties and Mode of Action

Recent Progress in Polymer Research to Tackle Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance.

Human safety and well-being is threatened by microbes causing numerous infectious diseases resulting in a large number of deaths every year. Despite substantial progress in antimicrobial drugs, many infectious diseases remain difficult to treat. Antimicrobial polymers offer a promising antimicrobial strategy for fighting pathogens and have received considerable attention in both academic and industrial research. This mini-review presents the advances made in antimicrobial polymers since 2013. Antimicrobial mechanisms exhibiting either passive or active action and polymer material types containing bound or leaching antimicrobials are introduced. This article also addresses the applications of these antimicrobial polymers in the medical, food, and textile industries.

/pdf/recent-advances-in-antimicrobial-polymers-a-mini-review-4zzs2p3j03.pdf

Recent Advances in Antimicrobial Polymers: A Mini-Review.

This paper describes a novel real-time impedance chip for the detection of squalene-water emulsion phase separation. Each impedance chip contains eight pairs of indium tin oxide microelectrode arrays for detecting eight samples, and six chips can be connected with the switch relay to measure 48 samples in the system simultaneously. The proposed impedance chip has the advantages of needing only a small sample volume (0.5 mL), and provides parallel, continuous, and real-time detection. The effects of the surfactant concentration on the stability of a squalene/water emulsion were studied by means of a visual inspection, a conductance probe, and by impedance chip. Three different concentrations of Tween 20 surfactant (9, 17, and 29 wt%) were employed for the examinations. The results indicated that the phase separation rate was faster in the lower surfactant concentration. However, the emulsion of 29 wt% Tween 20 was fairly stable for more than 2 days since there were no signal changes according to the three detection methods. The reaction time (TR) for completing the measured phase separation process differed for each of the three methods (measuring aqueous phase height, conductance, and impedance, respectively). For the 9 wt% Tween 20, the reaction times were 24 h, 20 min, and 5 min in the tests using visual inspection, conductance probe, and impedance chip, respectively. For the 17 wt% Tween 20, the TR was also shorter when using the impedance chip method compared to the other two methods. Therefore the proposed impedance chip has a quick reaction response and provides an alternative and effective method to detect emulsion stability.

Cheng You Chen

Papers

Recent Advances in Antimicrobial Polymers: A Mini-Review.

A real-time impedance-sensing chip for the detection of emulsion phase separation