The presence of biofilms on open surfaces in the food and pharmaceutical industries is a major risk factor when it comes to hygiene and safety, and most companies are unaware of their presence.
How does BioFinder find biofilms?
BioFinder is an innovative tool developed by scientists, that generates white foam when in contact with catalase (an enzyme) produced by microorganisms in a biofilm. The foam is easy to identify because of it’s contrast to the orange colour liquid of the product.
What is a biofilm?
A biofilm is a group of microorganisms that adhere to surfaces and produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) to protect themselves. A biofilm is highly resistant to conventional cleaning and disinfection procedures, making it extremely difficult to remove. If left undetected and untreated it can quickly get out of control.
Why are biofilms so dangerous?
Because once you have biofilms in your factory they are extremely persistent and almost impossible to get rid of.
In the life cycle of a biofilm, when reaching maturity, one of two things can happen:
- Dispersion: the EPS shield ruptures and releases high counts of bacteria into your factory that can contaminate your product.
- Detachment: parts of the biofilm break off and reattach elsewhere in your factory causing a continual cycle of biofilm formation and contamination.
This is what can cause those random spikes in both time and space of your bacterial counts.
And, despite best practices in hygiene and regular cleaning, biofilms can remain present and undetected in your factory…until it’s too late.
Regular disinfection is not enough to get rid of biofilms. You need to break the cycle!
In conclusion:
- If you are experiencing random spikes you may have a biofilm.
- Using BioFinder you can reveal where they are lurking on surfaces.
- Then you need to eliminate and prevent them from reforming using our foaming enzymes – EnzyJet Plus and BioJet
To place an order or find out more about our enzymes call Tania on 0218136190 or email tania@innogiene.co.za
In our article What to do if you find biofilms on open surfaces in your factory? we discuss eliminating and preventing open surface biofilm.
Biofilms in CIP require a different approach. Read How to Know if you have Biofilm in your CIP Lines and How to Fight It. It’s also a good idea to test your water supply line regularly for a preventative measure.
