Biofilm in Food Environment

Morinaga Yasushi

doi:10.5360/membrane.42.60

Control of biofilm is important in food environment because it often causes food poisoning. We found that some food additives and food materials such as sugar fatty acid esters and spices inhibited biofilm formation of hazardous microorganisms. The inhibition mechanism by sugar fatty acid esters was revealed as the inhibition of adhesion of microbial cells to the solid surface. We also found that L–tryptophan triggered degradation of Escherichia coli biofilm. The biofilm degradation mechanism by L–tryptophan was interpreted as recovery of the cells from nutritional starvation. 　 While the utilization of biofilm have been scarcely known in food environment. We found that some yeast and lactic acid bacteria isolated from a traditional Fukuyama pot vinegar brewing sample formed significant mixed–species biofilm when statically cultured together in appropriate medium. In this mixed–species biofilm, cells of yeast and lactic acid bacteria adhered to each other. Mannan sugar chain on the yeast cell surface and lectin–like protein on the lactic acid bacteria cells were revealed to mediate the cell–cell adhesion. Adopting this mixed–species biofilm as immobilized cells, we succeeded stable ethanol production in repeated fed batch mode for long term.

Biofilm in Food Environment

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