Biofilmes em indústrias de laticínios: aspectos gerais e uso de óleos essenciais como nova alternativa de controle

Abstract

Biofilms are microbial communities encountered on industrial surfaces that are formed due to failures in the hygienization procedure. Industries that process milk and milk products are very susceptible to biofilm formation because the feedstock used are rich in nutrients and usually presents a diverse and abundant microbiota. Microbial biofilms represents serious risks for this sector, since sessile cells can contaminate the food that pass through the local, causing problems of economic order, by the early deterioration of the products, or putting public health in risk. Among the new research alternatives for the control of microbial biofilm is the use of sanitizers solutions containing essential oils or their constituents. Essential oils are plant secondary metabolites that exhibit antimicrobial activity by acting primarily in the lipid bilayer of the cytoplasmic membrane. This bibliographic review was developed with the aim of addressing the key aspects involved in microbial biofilms of importance to the dairy industry, such as: general characteristics, formation sites, causes and consequences of their development, and the use of chemical detergents and sanitizers as conventional control alternative. The use of essential oils and their constituents as new alternatives for biofilm control were also discussed, emphasizing the mechanism of antibacterial action and the studies already developed using solutions containing these substances for the control of bacterial biofilms.