Bacteriophages are the natural enemy of bacteria that have evolved to specifically bind and infect their host cells and then rapidly replicate, leading to lysis of the bacterial cell. Also, bacteriophages are safe to use on food surfaces, supported by the fact that several commercial bacteriophage products received GRAS status from the FDA. These properties make them promising agents for both detecting bacteria in factories and food products (biosensors) and eradicating them from the food processing environment (biocontrol).

The purpose of this session is to discuss the possibilities and limitations of bacteriophage-based technology in biosensors and biocontrol in the food industry. Therefore, the first part of the session reviews the different applications that have been proposed for biocontrol, both pre- and post-harvest, including a consideration of the effects of the food matrix and the potential for the development of phage resistance. In addition, the pros and cons of routine application of phage-based detection methods in the food industry will be discussed. The second part of this session provides insight into the current commercial application of bacteriophages in food processing environments. Application data of bacteriophages on several types of food products is presented together with the challenges of transferring the technology from the laboratory to processing plants. The last part of this session discusses endolysins, which are bacteriophage-encoded cell wall-lytic enzymes (peptidoglycan hydrolases) that have recently gained attention as potential antimicrobial agents. These enzymes rapidly and specifically kill foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus, and are refractory to resistance. Proof of concept data for endolysin applications as biosensor and biocontrol, both in suspension and biofilm treatment, are presented. All in all, this session presents an up-to-date view on bacteriophage technology, the newest antimicrobial intervention and detection strategy in food industry.

Presentations