Prevention of biofilms is a key activity of NBIC (National Biofilms Innovation Centre) and CFA’s Dr Ken Johnston, who is a member of NBIC’s Innovation Board, recently participated in its research and innovation event.
A clear take-home message from Peter Littleton, Technical Director of Christeyns was ‘Prevention is better than control’. Breaking up biofilms requires a two-pronged approach – namely an oxidative chemical to release the biofilm from the surface, and a sanitiser to kill the cells released. Strong physical methods are likely to spread contamination and bacteria will be detected for several days.
Other highlights included innovations to reveal the presence of biofilms, including a swab kit which uses a food-safe dye to detect bacterial contamination in seconds. The kit has a ‘false negative’ colour change which indicates the presence of excess hygiene chemicals. It does not require any reader and is claimed to be simpler and slightly cheaper than ATP tests. York University spin-out PHOREST, using advanced photonics to continuously monitor biofilm evolution in vessels and pipework in real time, can sense the earliest stages of biofilm formation much more quickly than microbiological methods.
Although much discussed, novel antimicrobial surfaces remain as very early-stage concepts.
April 2025