The application of bacteriophage to control Cronobacter sakazakii planktonic and biofilm growth in infant formula milk

Abstract

The goal was to identify the biofilm-forming ability of Cronobacter sakazakii on surfaces of stainless steel (SS) and silicone rubber (SR) in contact with infant formula milk. Two representative bacteriophages (PBES04 and PBES19) were used to control the growth of C. sakazakii as well as its biofilm forming ability on either SS or SR surfaces. Bacterial growth was confirmed at 20 °C when PBES04 and PBES19 were used, whereas C. sakazakii was not normally detected in infant formula milk treated with both bacteriophages for 6 h. In an additional biofilm reduction experiment, the biofilm on SS or SR surfaces were reduced by 3.07 and 1.92 log CFU cm⁻², respectively after PBES04 treatment, and 3.06 and 2.14 log CFU cm⁻², respectively, after PBES19 treatment. These results demonstrate that bacteriophages can be effective in inactivating C. sakazakii in biofilms which could potentially increase food safety in commercial facilities.

Keywords:

• Cronobacter sakazakii
• biofilm
• bacteriophage
• infant formula milk

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (grant no. 2020R1F1A1067519). This research was also supported by the Chung-Ang University Research Grants in 2019.