Bacterial Biofilms and Application of Plasma Activated Liquid for Inactivation of Biofilm-Associated Diseases

Microbial challenges in the food industry and clinical sectors have become a matter of concern and a subject for expansive research.The noxious and increasing resilience towards existing biocidal approaches has made it more strenuous to eliminate biofilms and disinfect surfaces.The prevalence of biofilms on food contact surfaces and food products can be very dangerous and continues to be a health threat.One promising strategy to decontaminate food contact surfaces and food products is the application of non-thermal or even cold plasma.It is an expeditiously advancing field to increase the efficiency of bacterial biofilm treatment and control.Cold plasma is essentially an ionized gas comprising of charged particles, reactive species, UV photons, an electric field along other elements.A novel method to implement this technology is by utilizing plasma-activated liquids (PAL) to inactivate a wide variety of microorganisms.PAL is produced by discharging the plasma in the liquid leading to the transference of the reactive species into the liquid.The ease of administration, low-cost treatment, and environmental safety are a few of the main reasons to adopt this strategy.A lot about the optimum parameters of the technique is unresolved regarding biofilm inactivation by PAL, and the search for an ideal approach to disinfect (delicate) food (contact) surfaces is still on.The primary goal of this review article is to understand food safety and list the effects of PAL on biofilms and their applications in the food industry.Secondly, the process of inactivation by PAL and its advantages over conventional methods is also explained in this article.