Mechano-Bactericidal Surfaces: Mechanisms, Nanofabrication, and Prospects for Food Applications

Abstract

Mechano-bactericidal (MB) nanopatterns have the ability to inactivate bacterial cells by rupturing cellular envelopes. Such biocide-free, physicomechanical mechanisms may confer lasting biofilm mitigation capability to various materials encountered in food processing, packaging, and food preparation environments. In this review, we first discuss recent progress on elucidating MB mechanisms, unraveling property–activity relationships, and developing cost-effective and scalable nanofabrication technologies. Next, we evaluate the potential challenges that MB surfaces may face in food-related applications and provide our perspective on the critical research needs and opportunities to facilitate their adoption in the food industry.

Laser‐Textured Surfaces: A Way to Control Biofilm Formation?

“…Many surfaces with features at the nm-scale and, therefore, being smaller than a single microorganism exhibit reduced bacterial adhesion. [71,[76][77][78] Here, the spatial density of features is of special importance and can be considered as a simple indicator of the number of available contact points for bacterial cells [86] and [85] ). (Reprinted from [86] based on their dimensions (Figure 18b).…”

“…[71,[76][77][78] Here, the spatial density of features is of special importance and can be considered as a simple indicator of the number of available contact points for bacterial cells [86] and [85] ). (Reprinted from [86] based on their dimensions (Figure 18b). A strong dependence of bacterial adhesion on structure dimensions and densities could be demonstrated for topographies like cones and holes or laserinduced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) [67,79,80] (Figure 18c).…”

“…Figure19. 3D mapping of various synthetic mechano-bactericidal nanoprotrusions; the dashed circle in the lower left corner marks the dimensions of naturally occurring mechano-bactericidal surfaces (data published in[86] and[85] ). (Reprinted from[86] Y. Cheng, et al, Mechano-Bactericidal Surfaces: Mechanisms, Nanofabrication, and Prospects for Food Applications, Annu.…”