Biofilm-forming capability and susceptibility to disinfectants among bacterial isolates from seafood processing in Québec

Fish and seafood processing faces persistent microbial contamination issues, due largely to biofilm formation on equipment and product contact surfaces, despite sanitation procedures. In this study, the bacterial diversity found on production lines processing shrimp, smoked salmon (artisanal and industrial-scale), snow crab and lobster was evaluated in terms of biofilm-forming ability and resistance to two conventional and two alternative disinfection treatments. From a total of 105 surfaces sampled after sanitation, 472 bacterial isolates were obtained, representing 53 genera, primarily Pseudomonas , Aeromonas , and Acinetobacter . While most isolates produced weak biofilms, moderate to strong biofilm producers were mainly Pseudomonas (43 %), Aeromonas (22 %), and Acinetobacter (10 %). Nine representative isolates were tested against peracetic acid. Peracetic acid (100 ppm) reduced viable counts by > 3 log cfu/mL in four isolates, although two showed marked resistance (