Lynne Mclandsborough

Food processors are moving away from water-based (wet) cleaning in the food processing environment because water enhances bacterial growth. In addition, some food products, such as peanut butter or chocolate, are often manufactured without wet cleaning and rely solely on non-water-based (dry cleaning) approaches to cleaning. Furthermore, under dry conditions (such as those found in peanut butter, chocolate, or dried foods), bacteria, such as Salmonella, exhibit increased resistance to heat and antimicrobial agents. My laboratory group recently focused on developing and formulating antimicrobial compounds for cleaning and sanitizing food processing equipment without water.

Projects in my lab include:

• Development of antimicrobial delivery systems for cleaning and sanitation
• The biological, physical, and chemical aspects of bacterial adhesion, transfer, and removal.
• The genetics of Listeria sp. biofilm growth.