Role of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) in Displacing Biofilms in the Food Industry

Food contact surfaces are especially prone to microbial adhesion and biofilm development owing to the availability of nutrient rich food residues. Foodborne biofilms compromise the proper functioning of equipment and impair food safety and quality, thus constituting a major concern. The higher tolerance of biofilms to traditional cleaning treatments has emphasised the development of new methodologies to control biofilms in the food industry. Probiotics and their products have shown great potential for preventing attachment and biofilm formation by a large spectrum of foodborne microorganisms. This work aimed to evaluate the ability of four lactic acid bacteria (strains to displace pre formed biofilms of Escherichia coli a bacterium commonly found on biofilms developed in food contact surfaces. The results showed the potential of L fermentum L paracasei L plantarum and L lactis against E coli biofilms L paracasei was the most promising probiotic strain considering both antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity. The application of probiotics in food production processes can reduce the occurrence of foodborne outbreaks and improve the public health in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.