from packaging to biofilms: a journey of microbial control

Packaging plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and safety of products. nonetheless, it can also become a breeding ground for biofilms—irreversible clusters of bacteria that attach to both biotic and abiotic surfaces. this article aims to show how packaging materials affect biofilm formation on food products. when biofilms form on food packaging, they can cause unpleasant odors and tastes, food spoilage, potential foodborne disease outbreaks, and economic losses. common food borne biofilm forming microorganisms include listeria, staphylococcus, salmonella, and e. coli. each year, the transmission of pathogens through food, often aided by biofilms, leads to two billion illnesses and over one million deaths globally. if packaging fails to preserve chemical and physical safety of the product, biofilm formation is inevitable. factors like gaseous atmosphere, temperature, ph, and relative humidity in packaging can impact microbial growth. additionally, the surface characteristics of materials, such as electrostatics, interface roughness, chemical composition, tension, hydrophobicity, and hydrophilicity, can affect biofilm formation. surface roughness promotes bacterial attachment as it increases contact area between bacterial cells and surface material and protects them from shear forces. having smoother surface, plastic and metal packaging impair attachment stage in the biofilm formation. vacuum packaging inhibits the growth of gram-negative organisms such as salmonella as it contains co2. hydrophobic materials, such as metals, decrease bacterial adhesion. traditional packaging materials include glass, metals, paper, paperboards, and plastics. however, modern food packaging often combines these materials. specifically, meat packaging utilizes cans, films, pouches, aluminum foil, vacuum sealing, and modified atmosphere packaging. in conclusion, especially for meat and meat products, vacuum packaging is the optimal choice for frozen and chilled red meat with a shelf life exceeding 6 months. for chilled red meat with a desired shelf life of 1-6 months, aluminum foil is a suitable option.