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Focus on Listeria
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| Listeria
Gram Stain |
Focus on Listeria
Biofilms
A serious problem for those in the food processing
business are biofilms; a host of bacteria known to attach to
surfaces where they grow to form surface-associated
communities. Bacteria growing as biofilms behave differently
than planktonic populations. Generally more active and
more resistant to antimicrobial agents, the presence of
biofilms can cause contamination of product, leading to
quality and safety issues. Spoilage organisms such as Pseudomonas
are known to form biofilms, as well as pathogens such as Listeria
and Salmonella. If a biofilm
becomes established, these bacteria can leach into the
product.
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for use, ASM
MicrobeLibrary
Biofilms can form on many types of surfaces.
Stainless steel surfaces, plastic surfaces and gaskets are
common areas. Anywhere that has continuous contact
with product is suspect, especially where surface
irregularities occur. Detection of biofilms can be
tricky because they can enter a viable but non culturable
state, meaning they will not grow in media used to culture
and detect their presence. In addition, swabbing is
not always sufficient to remove the biofilm and the cells
contained within it.
Prevention of biofilms is not necessarily easy but
biofilms can take several days to stabilize. If
certain guidelines are followed a problem should not
develop.
- Always pre-rinse, wash, post-rinse and
sanitize
- Change gaskets every 4 to 6 weeks
- Remove pitted or uneven surfaces
- Ensure that cleaning and sanitizing solutions
reach all parts of equipment
- Inspect equipment after cleaning both visually
and microbiologically
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- Do not sanitize equipment without cleaning first
- Do not run several short cleaning shifts in a
row
- Do not run several very long production runs in
a row (greater than 10 hours)
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Information on biofilms is easily found on the internet. Here are a
couple of links to interesting and informative articles.
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Request a Copy
3-A Sanitary Standards for Formers, Fillers, and Sealers
of Containers for Fluid Milk and Fluid Milk Products, Number
17-10 - these standards cover the sanitary aspects of
unitized equipment for fluid milk and fluid milk
products. To request a copy, e-mail us at PathogenLab@dfamilk.com.
Sanitation Starts Here -->
Your Hands!
 CDC's
Hand Hygiene Task force has published guidelines that should
be useful for all sanitation programs. Although
intended for the health-care industry, the information in
these guidelines is comprehensive and applicable to all
settings where pathogens on hands are a concern.
Included in these guidelines is information on types of
preparations used for hand hygiene, reduced susceptibility
of bacteria to antiseptics, efficacy of plain soap and
combination antiseptic soap, factors to consider when
selecting hand hygiene products and methods used to promote
hand hygiene. To download these guidelines, go to www.cdc.gov.
For a printer friendly version,
click here --->
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