Bacterial Adhesion to Food Contacting Surfaces

Contamination of kitchen surfaces, during food preparation, due to bacteria present in foodstuff is one of the main causes of foodborne outbreaks. Cells adhered to those surfaces of domestic kitchens are not easily removed by normal cleaning procedures. Therefore, they can be a source of contamination for other foods and objects. Several studies indicate that various pathogenic bacteria like Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter, E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus survive in kitchen utensils, hands and in bench cover materials. In this way it is of utmost importance to know the factors responsible for the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria to kitchen materials in order to select the material less prone to bacterial colonization. Accordingly, this chapter will focus on the study of the adhesion of strains of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Enteritidis to materials commonly used in kitchens (stainless steel 304, marble, granite, glass, polypropylene from a bowl and a cutting board and two kinds of silestone).