Quorum Sensing as a Mechanism of Microbial Control and Food Safety

Abstract

Food deterioration is defined as a process that renders a product unacceptable or undesirable for consumption and is the result of the biochemical activity of microbial populations that predominate in the product. The notion of food safety for produce is important because of its susceptibility to microbial attack and biofilms formation. Even limited information are informed, this activity has been attributed to quorum sensing (QS). Therefore, the potential role of bacterial communication in food spoilage and food safety should be more widely elucidated. Thus, the screening of anti-pathogenic agents that inhibit the QS regulation of bacterial colonization and virulence factor production might represent a great promising alternative as anti-infective agents. This chapter will be focused on resistance to sanitizers and disinfectants, outbreaks related to produce, quorum sensing, biofilms formation, attachments and current and emerging strategies for fresh and minimally processed produce, providing new finding concerning about food safety.