The use of biomimetic surfaces to reduce single- and dual-species biofilms of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida
Rita Teixeira-Santos,
Ana Azevedo,
Maria J. Romeu,
Cristina I. Amador,
Luciana C. Gomes,
Kathryn A. Whitehead,
Jelmer Sjollema,
Mette Burmølle,
Filipe J. Mergulhão
Affiliations
Rita Teixeira-Santos
LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
Ana Azevedo
LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
Maria J. Romeu
LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
Cristina I. Amador
Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
Luciana C. Gomes
LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
Kathryn A. Whitehead
Microbiology at Interfaces, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M15GD, UK
Jelmer Sjollema
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
Mette Burmølle
Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
Filipe J. Mergulhão
LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; Corresponding author. LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal.
The ability of bacteria to adhere to and form biofilms on food contact surfaces poses serious challenges, as these may lead to the cross-contamination of food products. Biomimetic topographic surface modifications have been explored to enhance the antifouling performance of materials. In this study, the topography of two plant leaves, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis (cauliflower, CF) and Brassica oleracea capitate (white cabbage, WC), was replicated through wax moulding, and their antibiofilm potential was tested against single- and dual-species biofilms of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida. Biomimetic surfaces exhibited higher roughness values (Sa WC = 4.0 ± 1.0 μm and Sa CF = 3.3 ± 1.0 μm) than the flat control (Sa F = 0.6 ± 0.2 μm), whilst the CF surface demonstrated a lower interfacial free energy (ΔGiwi) than the WC surface (−100.08 mJ m−2 and −71.98 mJ m−2, respectively). The CF and WC surfaces had similar antibiofilm effects against single-species biofilms, achieving cell reductions of approximately 50% and 60% for E. coli and P. putida, respectively, compared to the control. Additionally, the biomimetic surfaces led to reductions of up to 60% in biovolume, 45% in thickness, and 60% in the surface coverage of single-species biofilms. For dual-species biofilms, only the E. coli strain growing on the WC surface exhibited a significant decrease in the cell count. However, confocal microscopy analysis revealed a 60% reduction in the total biovolume and surface coverage of mixed biofilms developed on both biomimetic surfaces. Furthermore, dual-species biofilms were mainly composed of P. putida, which reduced E. coli growth. Altogether, these results demonstrate that the surface properties of CF and WC biomimetic surfaces have the potential for reducing biofilm formation.
