Reducing surface bacterial contamination with nanobubbles to enhance sanitation in dairy processing facilities

Obj 1. Evaluate the influence of nanobubbles on preventing attachment and removing attached bacteria from surfaces. Obj 2. Determine the synergistic combination of nanobubbles and chemical sanitizers on inactivation of attached bacteria on surfaces, and mono- and multi-species microbial biofilms. Obj 3. Evaluate the impact of nanobubbles on dairy products quality with an emphasis on lipid oxidation. Abstract: Dairy and other food processing industries utilize a variety of chemical, physical and microbial interventions, alone or in combination, to prevent or reduce microbiological contamination. The ability of microbubbles and nanobubbles to clean food, food contact, and environmental surfaces has been minimally studied. Nanobubbles are generally <200 nm in diameter and can have a neutral buoyancy, a strong electric charge, and a high transfer efficiency. Their lack of buoyancy in water prevents them from rising to the surface and therefore they can remain suspended for days or weeks. An aqueous solution with nanobubbles could be applied (spraying or submerging) to a surface to enhance physical disruption of a microbial biofilm, which could be further optimized with an additional antimicrobial treatment including chemical sanitizer application, ultrasound or heat. The ability of bacteria to adhere to surfaces has significant implications for the dairy and food industry. Equipment surface topographies allow bacteria to securely adhere to them, leading to the development of biofilms. Approximately 65% of foodborne illness outbreaks are traced back to bacterial biofilms. Furthermore, the lack of removal of biofilms during sanitation may result in reformation of a biofilm post-sanitation, thus enhancing their persistence on food contact surfaces. Hence, in this proposed work, we will be applying novel nanobubbles technology to enhance equipment, surfaces and microbial biofilms sanitation.