Potential Use of Biotechnological Tools to Eradicate Microbial Biofilms

Microbial biofilms are an aggregation of microbial cells interconnected by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which accelerate the growth of microbes on different surfaces. Biofilms are complex, dynamic, and remarkably heterogeneous structures. Biofilms protect microbes from environmental factors through an extracellular polymeric substance that is a matrix of polysaccharides, peptides, nucleic acids, and other substances synthesized by the microorganisms, this matrix provide shelter to the bacterial cells and metaphorically refereed as the “house of the biofilm”. Formation of biofilm over surfaces is a complex process that usually consists of various steps, firstly an adhesion process (reversible and irreversible), then colonization and subsequently, proliferation through the reproduction of microbes and the synthesis of matrix followed by dispersal of microbial cells from biofilms due to lack of nutrients and oxygen. Several factors regulate the formation of a biofilm, and major ones include the type of microorganism, properties of surfaces, and the environment around the microbes. Biofilms especially affect the food industries (milk and meat) by contaminating the raw materials and their products through the secretion of spoilage enzymes from biofilms, and the inhabitation of pathogens may create a risk for consumers. Antimicrobial agents cannot effectively combat microbes growing in biofilms. In this regard, one of the important factors is the matrix composition of biofilms that determines the resistance to antimicrobial agents, which may vary with different genera of microbes. In natural environment, synergistic interaction occurs frequently between mixed populations of bacteria, resulting in formation of biofilms that also contribute to tolerance against antimicrobials. So, it is obligatory to employ effective methods to eliminate the biofilms in food industries that are creating serious problems for human health. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview about biotechnological tools to combat biofilm formation. Now, it is the right time to use enzymes, phages, peptide-coated surfaces, metabolite molecules, and biosensors as tools to control microbial biofilms. Therefore, choosing a profound, prominent, and efficient measure is an immense need in order to safeguard consumers against biofilm-related hazards. The chapter provides information on the current knowledge regarding microbial biofilms and how to combat them with the aid of biotechnological tools. Main emphasis is laid on use of biotechnological tools to eradicate microbial biofilms.