On October 7, the 2nd edition of the Barcelona Biofilm Summit was held virtually. An event that featured the most prominent professionals in the sector.
A congress that definitely concluded with total success. This 2020 the congress registered more than 1,000 registrations with an attendance of 702 unique users and 575 simultaneous connections from more than 30 different countries.
An event that aimed to deepen and provide an updated vision about the issue posed by the presence of biofilms in food and beverage production plants, and to showcase risk control and mitigation strategies.
The congress had the pleasure of having the participation of high-level speakers on issues of Biofilms and food safety. They discussed the issue of Biofilms from a scientific-technical perspective. Dr. Sara Bover, Researcher and Head of the IRTA Food Security Program moderated the event.
BIOFILM SUMMIT SPEAKERS PRESENTATIONS
Dr. Bill Keevil Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Food Safety, explained Biofilms in the food industry, VBNC and resistance; requiring new means of detection and control
We highlight the microscope exposed that allows to observe the presence of biofilms in surfaces and to study the resistance of the bacteria of these biofilms against the methods of usual disinfection of the food industry.
Mr. Rob Limburn, Heat Resistance & Decontamination Group Manager at Campden BRI, Charingworth, Gloucestershire (UK), addressed the diversity of biofilm species and the enzymatic elimination of these microorganisms.
A detailed description of the composition and diversity of biofilms from different food industries was presented from Campden (UK). It was also possible to find out which bacteria are the most abundant and the most recurrent in these biofilms.
He presented the results of the studies performed to compare the effectiveness of the use of different types of disinfectants and enzymatic detergents in the removal of biofilms.
Listeria monocytogenes, was the bacterium most talked about, due to its relevance in the food industry for its pathogenicity and prevalence.
Dr. Belén Martín of the IRTA Food Safety Program, for her part, presented the microbiological control of surfaces as a key tool for the verification of hygiene in the framework of food safety and quality management.
In this line, were presented the results of a study carried out at the Spanish level to detect the distribution and diversity of L. monocytogenes strains and their relationship with listeriosis outbreaks. She also talked about the microbiological risks that can occur in a food industry and the importance of hygiene and surface control measures that should be taken to know, monitor and minimize this risk.
Finally, Dr. José Juan Rodríguez, expert professor in Food Safety at the AUB spoke about the risks and dangers of biofilms in the food industry, presenting some of the methods to carry out this control and reduction of microbiological problems and biofilms in food industries.
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He also showed that the inhibition or stimulation of the growth of L. monocytogenes depends on competition factors of the other bacteria in the biofilm, so it is important to know its composition.
From a technical perspective, the Barcelona Biofilm Summit was a great source of information and ideas for thinking.
The organizers hope to have the participation of all the registers in the next third edition of the Barcelona Biofilm Summit, which we expected to give more details in the coming months.
We expect you in the next edition!
