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There is growing interest in research and development to develop novel tools to study, detect, and characterize microbes and their communities in industrial environments. However, knowledge about their validity in practical industrial use is still scarce. This review describes the advantages and limitations of traditional and molecular methods used for biofilm and/or planktonic cell studies, especially those performed with Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, and/or Clostridium perfringens. In addition, the review addresses the importance of isolating the microorganisms from the industrial environment and the possibilities and future prospects for exploiting the described methods in the industrial environment.

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The biotransfer potential in food processing is defined as the ability of the microorganisms present on equipment surfaces both before and after cleaning procedures to contaminate products during processing. Growth of Bacillus biofilms was detectable on both stainless-steel and Teflon© surfaces after all the cleaning procedures. B. cereus and B. subtilis cells adhered more firmly to unsoiled than to soiled surfaces, whereas B. thuringiensis adhered most firmly to soiled surfaces. The results showed that the removal of biofilms from surfaces was more difficult from stainless steel because the microorganisms were attached more tenaciously to rough surfaces. Biofilms were cleaned most effectively from unsoiled surfaces with a simple rinsing procedure; thus the mechanical forces of the flow are very important in the cleaning. The chemical and heat treatments used for cleaning had the greatest impact on the abundance of living microorganisms. All the procedures tested did not remove biofilm material effectively from the surfaces. Significantly more cells were removed when the alkaline phase in the alkaline-acid treatment of the cleaning-in-place (CIP) procedure was prolonged, and ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was used.

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