Antibiofilm Mechanisms and Applications of Natural Compounds

Biofilms formed on food-contact surfaces and processing equipment serve as persistent bacterial reservoirs that lead to recurrent food contamination and foodborne illnesses. Conventional sanitizers and antimicrobial treatments often fail to remove these structured microbial communities, which are protected by matrixes formed from extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), the presence of metabolically dormant persister cells, and various adaptive resistance mechanisms. Natural compounds (NCs) are increasingly viewed as alternative antibiofilm agents, but evidence supporting their effectiveness remains fragmented, and studies integrating molecular mechanisms and practical applications in food-processing systems are scarce. This review evaluates diverse NCs, including plant-derived phenolics, alkaloids, and terpenoids, as well as various marine and microbial metabolites, for their potential as robust alternatives for biofilm control. Unlike traditional biocides, NCs display multifaceted antibiofilm activities that target key biofilm developmental stages by inhibiting initial bacterial attachment and swarming motility, disrupting quorum sensing and c-di-GMP signaling, and destabilizing the EPS scaffold. NCs also effectively eradicate recalcitrant persister bacteria by disrupting membranes, inducing oxidative stress, and suppressing virulence factors. We specifically focus on advanced application strategies, such as nanotechnology-based delivery systems, surface functionalization coatings, and synergistic combinations with conventional sanitizers, which are tailored for biofilm eradication on food-processing environments and food-contact materials. Collectively, these NC-based interventions support a conceptual shift from bactericidal approaches toward ecological behavior-modulating biofilm management to enable more sustainable and effective control of foodborne pathogens across the food supply chain.