TBF 300s Biofilm Spray

About

Microorganisms can colonize by adhering to living or inert surfaces and become large enough to entrap organic and inorganic debris, nutrients, and other microorganisms, leading to the formation of a microbial biofilm. Because of their complex structure, biofilms provide a protective function to the microorganisms that they host, decreasing the efficacy of disinfection treatments. The presence of biofilms in food processing installations therefore represents a great risk for food safety and may also cause operational problems in equipment. Biofilm development can occur on almost all surfaces and in any environment where there are viable microorganisms, including those made of plastic, glass, metal, or wood, or food products themselves. The sticky, viscous matrix develops on surfaces that favour its adhesion - porous, scratched or rough surfaces- and that have been subjected to a poor cleaning and disinfection program. Ironically, more aggressive cleaning to remove the biofilm leads to further deterioration of the surface area and thus can aid biofilm growth in the longer term. Although removing a biofilm from a surface is very difficult, biofilm control is possible with fast and simple detection tools and disinfectants capable of destroying the biofilm matrix. TBF® 300S is a patented product that has been developed by Christeyns Food Hygiene in collaboration with Madrid Complutense University. Available in foam or liquid format, TBF® 300S does not require specialised personnel or complex equipment and provides accurate results in a few minutes. “Offering this product in the UK is a great step forward in the battle against biofilm,” states Peter Littleton, CFH Technical Director. “The use of specific dyes to stain the extracellular matrix of biofilms allows visual identification and avoids possible interference from other residues that may be present and thus any false positives.” Following use by several processing plants in the UK, TBF® 300S has proved to be effective in identifying the presence of biofilm in food, dairy and beverage operations. Brian McBride, Dairy Manager Belton Farm, comments: “It’s amazing to think that a few years ago it was impossible to quickly and simply detect live bacteria and bio film contamination and now I can see them appearing in front of my eyes. TBF300S could make a valuable contribution to our biosecurity tool kit.” TBF® 300S is sprayed directly onto the surface in question and left for 5 minutes. The test area is then rinsed with water and any remaining pink coloration on the test surface indicates the presence of biofilms.