Almost all microorganisms outside of a microbiology lab live in microbial communities called biofilms. These communities greatly impact the nature of the organisms that live in them and can affect characteristics such as resistance to antimicrobial agents, tolerance of adverse conditions, nutritional requirements, and even gene expression.  Microbial communities are closely linked to the food that we eat and the safety of our food supply. Biofilms are found in the environments where we grow, process, serve, and sell food.  They are naturally occurring on foods that we consume and are even present in and on our own bodies. Biofilms are dynamic systems with changing populations and conditions within them. Our understanding of biofilms and how and when we should try to control them is equally dynamic.  This symposium will provide an update on biofilms and their relevance to the food industry. Speakers will address the latest information on topics such as laboratory methods to study biofilms, the claims that can be made for systems to mitigate them, the relevance of biofilms in retail and food processing industries, how to control them, and how to detect them.

Presentations