Biofilms and hygiene on dairy farms and in the dairy industry: sanitation chemical products and their effectiveness on biofilms - a review

Microbial biofilms which form on all types of surfaces of technological systems in the dairy industry and on dairy farms adversely affect the quality and safety of final products, i.e. both foodstuffs and raw materials used for their production. The fact that a number of microorganisms are alimentary pathogens, e.g. Staphylococcus aureus or Listeria monocytogenes, makes a serious problem directly affecting human health. Biofilms are usually formed by various species of microorganism, which protect each other against the effects of biocidal (antibacterial) agents and are resistant to these agents. The colonisation of surfaces of the open and closed piping systems, floors, waste, walls and ceilings of the production halls becomes a major problem in the selection of effective sanitation agents for their control. Based on the existing model studies, practical methods for testing the effectiveness of sanitation procedures should be evaluated, including the selection of biocides and comparison of the physical parameters of the sanitation procedures. Testing the effectiveness of the sanitation agents should be performed with the use of standardised tests, which consider microbial, structural, and chemical characteristics of the living microbial communities on specific contact surfaces in the food-processing industry.