Evaluation of the Potential of Biofilm Formation of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis and Lactobacillus reuteri as Competitive Biocontrol Agents Against Pathogenic and Food Spoilage Bacteria

摘要

This study proposes to exploit the in vivo metabolism of two probiotics ( subsp. and ) which, upon adhesion on a solid surface, form a biofilm able to control the growth of pathogenic and food spoilage bacteria. The results showed that pathogenic cell loads were always lower in presence of biofilm (6.5–7 log CFU/cm ) compared to those observed in its absence. For O157:H7, a significant decrease (>1–2 logarithmic cycles) was recorded; for , and , cell load reductions ranged from 0.5 to 1.5 logarithmic cycles. When tested as active packaging, the biofilm was successfully formed on polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, greaseproof paper, polyethylene and ceramic; the sessile cellular load ranged from 5.77 log CFU/cm (grease-proof paper) to 6.94 log CFU/cm (polyethylene, PE). To test the potential for controlling the growth of spoilage microorganisms in food, soft cheeses were produced, inoculated with and wrapped in PE pellicles with pre-formed biofim, packed both in air and under vacuum, and stored at 4 and 15 °C: an effective effect of biofilms in slowing the decay of the microbiological quality was recorded.