Fungal biofilms: insights for the food industry

Microscopical fungi, both molds and yeasts, play a relevant role in the food industry. Despite having beneficial applications in the biotechnological area and being an alternative in industrial enzyme production, fungi also present a potential for food deterioration. These microorganisms are excellent candidates for biofilm formation, producing an extracellular matrix capable of conferring resistance, making their inactivation more difficult. This can be advantageous for biotechnological purposes and brings economic losses in the case of spoilage species. Therefore, this review will compile scarce information on fungal biofilm production and its dynamics. Despite the advances, the limitations on the subject demonstrate the need for new studies that prove the ability of biofilm formation by species of interest in the food industry and their influence on resistance to control methods.