Inhibition strategies of Listeria monocytogenes biofilms—current knowledge and future outlooks

Abstract

There is an increasing trend in the food industry on the Listeria monocytogenes biofilm formation and inhibition. This is attributed to its easy survival on contact surfaces, resistance to disinfectants or antibiotics and growth under the stringent condition used for food processing and preservation thereby leading to food contamination products by direct or indirect exposure. Though, there is a lack of conclusive evidences about the mechanism of biofilm formation, in this review, the concept of biofilm formation and various chemical, physical, and green technology approaches to prevent or control the biofilm formed is discussed. State-of-the-art approaches ranging from the application of natural to synthetic molecules with high effectiveness and non-toxicity targeted at the different steps of biofilm formation could positively influence the biofilm inhibition in the future.

Inhibitory effects of two types of food additives on biofilm formation by foodborne pathogens

“…Pathogenesis, virulence and persistence of such pathogens are well documented to be associated with biofilm formation (Liu, Chen, et al, ), as antibiotics abused in animal and plant production have been transferred to humans by the food chain (Ter Kuile, Kraupner, & Brul, ); however, bacterial biofilms are more resistant to conventional antibiotics and host defences than the cells in suspension and contribute to bacterial persistence in chronic infections (Uhlich, Rogers, & Mosier, ). Therefore, biofilm formation by EHEC and S. aureus is regarded as a major issue because these biofilms exhibit increased resistance to antimicrobial agents in the food industry (Oloketuyi & Khan, ; Srey, ).…”

The probiotic, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, inhibits Listeria monocytogenes biofilm formation

“…The bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes , is hard to eradicate due to its ability to survive under extreme conditions, including a wide pH range, refrigeration temperatures, and high salt concentrations (Abram et al, ; Oloketuyi & Khan, ; Petran & Zottola, ). L. monocytogenes can be easily introduced into food processing facilities and survives under various disinfection conditions, subsequently proliferating in food products (Ferreira, Wiedmann, Teixeira, & Stasiewicz, ).…”

“…L. monocytogenes has an ability to rapidly attach to various surfaces used to process food (Ferreira et al, ), such as glass, stainless steel, ceramic tiles, plastics, and polymer‐coated pipes (Doijad et al, ). Once biofilms are formed, L. monocytogenes becomes highly resistant to the disinfectants and antimicrobial agents used under stringent food processing and preservation conditions (Oloketuyi & Khan, ); therefore, L. monocytogenes biofilm formation at food processing facilities can be a serious threat to food safety.…”

“…Current approaches to the control of L. monocytogenes biofilms in the food processing industry mainly involve physical methods in conjunction with chemical treatment (Oloketuyi & Khan, ). Physical treatment alone cannot prevent bacterial cells from spreading across various surfaces at food processing facilities, and eradication of biofilms often requires assistance from antimicrobials and disinfectants (Oloketuyi & Khan, ). Ultrasound pretreatment increases the uptake and penetration efficiency of antimicrobial agents, resulting in the disruption of biofilms (Baumann, Martin, & Feng, ; Torlak & Sert, ).…”

“…Ultrasound pretreatment increases the uptake and penetration efficiency of antimicrobial agents, resulting in the disruption of biofilms (Baumann, Martin, & Feng, 2009;Torlak & Sert, 2013). Moreover, fatty acids (e.g., nonanoic acid and myristic acid) (Nguyen et al, 2012), natural polysaccharides (e.g., chitosan), sanitation chemicals (e.g., chlorine and hydrogen peroxide), and enzymes (e.g., DNase I, proteinase K, and lipase) (Oloketuyi & Khan, 2017) are also used to reduce L. monocytogenes biofilms. However, the use of enzymes and chemicals presents disadvantages, since the production and purification of enzymes is costly, certain chemicals such as chlorine produce toxic byproducts (Gopal, Tripathy, Bersillon, & Dubey, 2007), and antimicrobials and biological compounds such as chitosan typically face insolubility issues (Costa, Silva, Pina, Tavaria, & Pintado, 2012).…”