Biofilms in food processing: rethinking disinfection strategies in the era of resistance

Food processing industries are still facing the challenge of combating microbial biofilms, i.e., complex, surface-anchored or free-floating structured communities that thrive in diverse environments from production lines to storage facilities. While sanitation has long been at the forefront of controlling contamination, the resilience of biofilms continually undermines conventional cleaning practices, leading to equipment damage, increased operational costs, food spoilage and recurrent foodborne outbreaks. The adaptability and diversity of biofilm-forming microbes, marked by evolving resistance mechanisms, reveal the shortcomings of conventional sanitation practices and current hygiene management, and highlights the need for integrated, sustainable solutions that comply with current antimicrobial and regulatory frameworks. Moreover, these antibiofilm options are severely limited by the serious threat of antimicrobial resistance spread along the food production chain and further into the community. This review synthesizes the most recent advances on bacterial biofilms and their resistance mechanisms against disinfection measures in food processing settings. We critically assess the limitations of standard decontamination methods and discuss emerging solutions, especially evaluating their potential to enhance food quality and safety, and their feasibility in terms of cost and sustainability.