AUTHOR=Voglauer Eva M. , Zwirzitz Benjamin , Thalguter Sarah , Selberherr Evelyne , Wagner Martin , Rychli Kathrin TITLE=Biofilms in Water Hoses of a Meat Processing Environment Harbor Complex Microbial Communities JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.832213 DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.832213 ISSN=1664-302X ABSTRACT=
Safe and hygienic water distribution is essential for maintaining product quality and safety. It is known that biofilms alter the appearance and microbial quality of water along the distribution chain. Yet, biofilms in water hoses throughout the food processing environment have not been investigated in detail. Here, microbial communities from water hoses and other environmental sites in contact with water, in addition to the source water itself, were studied in the meat processing environment. Biofilms were present in all water hoses as determined by the presence of bacterial DNA and biofilm matrix components (carbohydrates, extracellular DNA, and proteins). The microbial community of the biofilms was dominated by