Biofilm

AVOID CONTAMINATION!

Realco/Realzyme enables complete control of hygiene levels in your installation, including decontamination.

BIOFILM, A RECURRENT PROBLEM

Biofilm is recognized as a critical source of contamination that is hard to remove. It can develop on various surfaces in the food industry: work surfaces, conveyors, cooling coils, exchangers, tanks, drains/pipes, membrane filters, etc. In some cases, biofilms are responsible for severe contamination of finished products, having significant consequences such as closing of production lines and the related economic losses.

Biofilm is created by an accumulation of bacteria which develop a protective matrix made up of organic polymers (EPS): polysaccharides and proteins. It is this organic matrix which is very difficult or even impossible to remove using conventional cleaning and disinfection protocols. However, biofilms are the dominant environment for microorganisms. In fact, 1,000 to 10,000 times more bacteria grow in a biofilm compared to in a planktonic, or free, state. Furthermore, bacteria encased in a biofilm can be 1,000 times more resistant to disinfectants (biocides) than planktonic bacteria. In order to ensure optimal hygiene levels, it is therefore necessary to eliminate biofilms.

It has been shown that disinfectants (biocides) alone are ineffective against biofilm bacteria (sometimes up to 100%) as they are protected by the organic matrix.

REALZYME’S ENZYME-BASED SOLUTION

This technology is the result of two (2) years of collaboration with two (2) scientific partners, UCL (Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium) and INRA (National Institute of Agronomical Research, France).

Realzyme has developed a protocol to audit installations for the presence of biofilm, as well as a comprehensive product range offering preventive and curative treatment of biofilms:

The enzyme-based detergent will optimally clean and prepare the surfaces for application of a disinfectant/sanitizer (biocide). The bacteria/micro-organisms will then be killed during the disinfection stage of the biofilm treatment process. As a result, the combination of our cleaning solution with an EPA-registered sanitizer will fully remove a biofilm contamination.

Biofilm after traditional treatment

Biofilm before treatment

Biofilm after enzymatic treatment (and after biocide application)

The installation is purified of all biofilm-associated contamination, ensuring optimal hygiene.

Contamination Audit

For more information on our Contamination Audit, click here.