Role of Microbial Interactions across Food-Related Bacteria on Biofilm Population and Biofilm Decontamination by a TiO2-Nanoparticle-Based Surfactant

Agapi I Doulgeraki; Christina S Kamarinou; George-John E Nychas; Anthoula A Argyri; Chrysoula C Tassou; Georgios Moulas; Nikos Chorianopoulos

doi:10.3390/pathogens12040573

Role of Microbial Interactions across Food-Related Bacteria on Biofilm Population and Biofilm Decontamination by a TiO₂-Nanoparticle-Based Surfactant

Pathogens. 2023 Apr 7;12(4):573. doi: 10.3390/pathogens12040573.

Authors

Agapi I Doulgeraki¹, Christina S Kamarinou^{1

2}, George-John E Nychas³, Anthoula A Argyri¹, Chrysoula C Tassou¹, Georgios Moulas⁴, Nikos Chorianopoulos³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products, Hellenic Agricultural Organization-DIMITRA, S. Venizelou 1, 14123 Lycovrissi, Greece.
² Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece.
³ Laboratory of Microbiology and Biotechnology of Foods, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece.
⁴ Moulas Scientific, Messinias 14, 15234 Chalandri, Greece.

Abstract

Microbial interactions play an important role in initial cell adhesion and the endurance of biofilm toward disinfectant stresses. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of microbial interactions on biofilm formation and the disinfecting activity of an innovative photocatalytic surfactant based on TiO₂ nanoparticles. Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Leuconostoc spp., Latilactobacillus sakei, Serratia liquefaciens, Serratia proteomaculans, Citrobacter freundii, Hafnia alvei, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas fragi, and Brochothrix thermosphacta left to form mono- or dual-species biofilms on stainless steel (SS) coupons. The effectiveness of the photocatalytic disinfectant after 2 h of exposure under UV light on biofilm decontamination was evaluated. The effect of one parameter i.e., exposure to UV or disinfectant, was also determined. According to the obtained results, the microbial load of a mature biofilm depended on the different species or dual species that had adhered to the surface, while the presence of other species could affect the biofilm population of a specific microbe (p < 0.05). The disinfectant strengthened the antimicrobial activity of UV, as, in most cases, the remaining biofilm population was below the detection limit of the method. Moreover, the presence of more than one species affected the resistance of the biofilm cells to UV and the disinfectant (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study confirms that microbial interactions affected biofilm formation and decontamination, and it demonstrates the effectiveness of the surfactant with the photocatalytic TiO₂ agent, suggesting that it could be an alternative agent with which to disinfect contaminated surfaces.

Keywords: TiO2 nanoparticles; biofilm; disinfection; foodborne pathogens; microbial interactions.

Grants and funding

This research has been co-financed by the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, under the call RESEARCH-CREATE-INNOVATE (project code: T1EDK-03446).