Food Protection Trends - July/August 2022 - 278

PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE
Food Protection Trends, Vol 42, No. 4, p. 278-283
https://doi.org/10.4315/FPT-21-025
Copyright©
Ellen A. Mendez,1 Brian Tande,2
and Valentina Trinetta1,3*
2022, International Association for Food Protection
2900 100th Street, Suite 309, Des Moines, IA 50322-3855, USA
1
2
3
Jessie Vipham,3
Food Science Institute, Kansas State University, 1530 Mid-Campus
Drive North, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
College of Engineering & Mines, University of North Dakota,
243 Centennial Drive Stop 8155, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA
Dept. of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University,
1424 Claflin Road, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Preliminary Investigation of the Effect of
Chemical Sanitizers and UV-C Light on Listeria
monocytogenes Biofilm Survivability
ABSTRACT
The ability of Listeria monocytogenes to adapt under
different environments and form biofilms is a challenge
for food safety. Mature biofilms are difficult to disrupt.
Chemical sanitizers combined with nonthermal technologies
might be an effective way to control L. monocytogenes
biofilms. This study was conducted to investigate
L. monocytogenes biofilm survival after treatments with
chemical sanitizers and UV-C light alone or in combination.
A Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention
biofilm reactor was used to grow 4-day-old multistrain
L. monocytogenes biofilms on stainless steel. Biofilm
survival was evaluated after 10 min of exposure to
lactic acid (4%), peroxy acid (100 ppm), and quaternary
ammonium (400 ppm) alone or in combination with 15 or
30 min of exposure to UV-C light (254 nm). The sequential
treatment effect was also evaluated. Reductions of
2.6 to 3.6 log CFU/cm2
were observed with chemical
sanitizers, whereas a maximum of 1.8 log CFU/cm2
reduction was recorded after UV-C treatment. Combined
treatments had an enhanced effect, and the sequence of
*Author for correspondence: Phone: +1 785.532.1667; Email: vtrinetta@ksu.edu
278 Food Protection Trends July/August
antimicrobial treatments was significant for lactic acid
and peroxy acid (P < 0.05). The results obtained in this
research offer an initial understanding of the response of
L. monocytogenes biofilm to chemical sanitizers and contribute
to development of effective strategies to control
this pathogen in the food processing environment.
INTRODUCTION
Listeria monocytogenes can adapt and proliferate in a variety of
environments by changing responses to external variations (33),
and its ability to form a biofilm represents a challenge for food
safety. A biofilm is defined as a community of microorganisms
that live in a sessile form attached to a substratum or interface
(13). L. monocytogenes in a processing facility can attach to
various surfaces such as stainless steel, glass, plastic, or rubber
and form biofilms (17, 23). These biofilms are difficult to control
and usually develop in hard-to-clean sites (13, 23). Drains, floors,
conveyor belts, scratches, joints, and porous or rough surfaces
provide ideal niches for cell adhesion and biofilm formation
and protection from mechanical and chemical disruption (23).
The process of forming a biofilm includes three main steps: (i)
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