Biofilms in Bioengineering

It is a natural tendency of micro-organisms to attach to surfaces, to multiply and to embed themselves in a slimy matrix, resulting in biofilms. Biofilms constitute a protected growth modality that allows the micro-organisms to survive in hostile environments. This book provides a remarkable amount of knowledge on the processes that regulate biofilm formation; on the methods used for their formation, monitoring, characterisation and mathematical modelling; on the problems caused by their presence in the food industry, environment and medical fields; and describes the current and emergent strategies for their control.