Biofilms on Food Contact Surfaces: Current Interventions and Emerging Technologies

The surfaces that come in contact with all food-related activities are referred to as Food Contact Surfaces (FCS). FCS is very important in all food-related activities including its production, processing, and packaging as they act as a potential source of contamination if not cleaned and maintained properly. Residues of organic, inorganic, chemical, and biological nature can accumulate on the contact surfaces during food preparation and processing, This leads to biofilm formation which pose a threat of food spoilage and health risk. There is always a risk of food poisoning even if the numbers are less in the case of food pathogens whereas a higher number of spoilage microorganisms affect the product quality. Sanitation is the only major day-to-day control measure Well-designed sanitation program is a cost-effective method to significantly reduce the biofilm formation and risk of microbial contamination. Various conventional and newly developed methods are used for the removal of biofilms The methods are classified as non-thermal and thermal. Some of the methods rely on direct contact (such as liquid and foam) while others (plasma, steam, and fogging) indirectly remove the contaminants. Furthermore, the strategies including hygienic design and physical barriers that can be employed to prevent recontamination of FCSs are also described along with future approaches.