Biofilms can compromise food safety, reduce food quality, change foods, limit shelf life and increase production costs.
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Good biofilms
For thousands of years mankind has used yeasts, moulds and bacteria to make food products such as bread, beer, wine, vinegar, yogurt and cheese, as well as fermented fish, meat and vegetables.
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Beverages
Over the years, numerous studies have investigated the role of biofilms in the beverage industry, and in health. This page is still under development. Can you help us to complete this page? Please contact us.
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Food Poisoning
Food poisoning happens when food has not been handled correctly – resulting in the growth of pathogens. When this food is consumed it can then cause a food-borne illness. Cooking food will often kill these bacteria but contamination might still happen after cooking. Food poisoning can also happen if food processing equipment and machinery is […]
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Food Factories
Biofilms in food factories, especially ones formed by bacteria that cause human disease, are a major concern and the food industry invests heavily in understanding where and how biofilms form, to keep our food safe. The sticky, glue like part of a biofilm, called the extracellular matrix, is mainly composed of polysaccharides like cellulose, proteins […]
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Farms
Biofilms on farms are a potential threat to the safety of the food chain
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Shelf Life
Biofilms formed by pathogenic bacteria are of special interest in the context of food hygiene since they may significantly compromise food safety. Those containing spoilage microbes can downgrade food quality, limit shelf life of the products, and lead to other important issues (e.g., clogging of membranes, increases in energy costs, biofouling, and corrosion problems). The […]