ABSTRACT

Biofilms can be found in soil, sediment, and water ecosystems and might be one of the most common modes of bacterial existence in nature, contributing significantly to ecological processes such as carbon and nitrogen cycling. Polysaccharides serve as major constituents of a biofilm structure existing as fine strands attached to cell surfaces, forming complex networks. Biofilms forming on beech wood chips used in vinegar production were described as "la matiere visqueuse" or the viscous material. The viscosity of biofilms is attributed to the formation of an extracellular matrix that encompasses a population of homogenous or a community of heterogeneous bacterial species. The formation of polysaccharides is important in biofilm formation, and bacterial species that do not produce bacterial polysaccharides often exist with those that do in mixed species biofilms. Biofilm formation by foodborne pathogens could be an important strategy to persist on plant and animal tissues, which in turn may have important implications for food safety.