Novel chemical-based approaches for biofilm cleaning and disinfection

Biofilm formation plays a critical concern in the food processing industry due to potential environmental, economic, and food spoilage impacts. To maintain microbial safe levels, a sanitation process, comprising cleaning and disinfection steps, needs to be periodically performed. Biocide treatment for surface disinfection is the most widely applied strategy. Owing to the critical failure of current sanitation processes, the microbial persistence on surfaces, and the events of resistance and cross-resistance, the search for new effective antimicrobial strategies is emerging. This review aims to provide an overview of emerging strategies for biofilm prevention/control, as alternatives to current cleaning and disinfecting agents. Specifically, the use of antimicrobial peptides, biosurfactants, bacteriophages, essential oils, extracellular polymeric substances, matrix-degrading enzymes, and nanoparticles as alternative strategies for biofilm control in the food industry was revised, focusing on their main applications, advantages, and limitations. Combinatory approaches were critically assessed for allowing a personalized and specific attack of microbial contaminations, which may have a significant relevance in improving biofilm control while reducing the environmental impact from the use of conventional biocides.