Surface modifiers for reducing bacterial contamination in medicine and food industry

Antibacterial coatings are used in the food and textile industries, in the construction industry, in biotechnology and medicine. The review considers the main types of coatings that prevent fouling with biomacromolecules and microorganisms: anti-adhesive, contact, release-based, multifunctional and intelligent (“smart”) coatings. For each type of coating, the most relevant and effective active substances and their mechanism of action are described. Despite the widespread use of anti-adhesive surfaces and contact coatings, they have many disadvantages that limit the scope of their application and reduce activity and durability. Numerous studies show that multifunctional and intelligent coatings have high potential for practical application and further research on their modification to obtain universal and cost-effective coatings. The main problem of the practical application of such surfaces is the imperfection of methods for assessing the stability and antibacterial properties of the coating in laboratory conditions.