Biofilm: The dark side of bacteria

Authors

  • Adriana Ianieri Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13129/1828-6550/APMB.114.1.2026.SD5

Keywords:

Bacteria, Biofilm, Food industries, Food safety, Public health

Abstract

Nowadays, microbial contaminations are the main challenge for food industries having consistent sanitary implications on public health and economic aspects. At this purpose, the biofilm, defined as bacterial structured communities, represents real environmental resistance forms both in nature and at the industrial level. It involves both pathogenic and commensal bacteria that produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) named as matrix which is a physical barrier to the external world (e.g., protection from biocides’ exposure, antimicrobials, etc.). The biofilm formation can be influenced by many variables e.g., surface characteristics, pH, temperature, and organic residues. When biofilm gains the irreversible step, its structural complexity is enforced by a solid communication performed through the quorum sensing. Therefore, this review wants to provide an overview about the main mechanisms and the potential impacts of biofilm productions among industrial realities also empathizing innovative and sustainable approaches for its control and prevention.

References

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Published

2026-06-24

Issue

Vol. 114 No. 1 (2026)

Section

SCHOLARLY DIALOGS

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Adriana Ianieri

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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