Proposal for Some Affordable Laboratory Biofilm Reactors and Their Critical Evaluations from Practical Viewpoints

Biofilms are a result of bacterial activities and are found everywhere. They often form on metal surfaces and on the surfaces of polymeric compounds. Biofilms are sticky and mostly consist of water. They have a strong resistance to antimicrobial agents and can cause serious problems for modern medicine and industry. Biofilms are composed of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) such as polysaccharides produced from bacterial cells and are dominated by water at the initial stage. In a series of experiments, using Escherichia coli, we developed three types of laboratory biofilm reactors (LBR) to simulate biofilm formation. For the first trial, we used a rotary type of biofilm reactor for stirring. For the next trial, we tried another rotary type of reactor where the circular plate holding specimens was rotated. Finally, a circular laboratory biofilm reactor was used. Biofilms were evaluated by using a crystal violet staining method and by using Raman spectroscopy. Additionally, they were compared to each other from the practical (industrial) viewpoints. The third type was the best to form biofilms in a short period. However, the first and second were better from the viewpoint of “ease of use”. All of these have their own advantages and disadvantages, respectively. Therefore, they should be properly selected and used for specific and appropriate purposes in the future.