The persistence of bacteria in food processing environments, even after disinfection, demands continuous evaluation of sanitation protocols, according to research presented this week by Thorben O. Reiche of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
Reiche’s doctoral thesis, encompassing multiple research articles, focuses on bacterial communities within the chicken and salmon industries and their response to disinfectant employ. The findings underscore the limitations of current cleaning practices and the potential for bacterial survival, posing ongoing risks to food safety.
His research specifically examines how bacterial populations shift and adapt when exposed to disinfectants commonly used in processing plants. The work highlights that standard washing routines may not eradicate all bacteria, particularly those forming biofilms – complex communities of microorganisms that are highly resistant to cleaning agents.
According to NTNU, Reiche’s research area includes food science, biotechnology and antimicrobial resistance. He teaches courses in microbiology and food safety at the university. His master’s thesis focused on characterizing antimicrobial resistance in Pseudomonas species isolated from the salmon industry, demonstrating a long-standing interest in the interplay between bacteria and food production.
One study detailed by NTNU, “Disinfection in a salmon processing plant: Impact on bacterial communities and efficacy towards foodborne bacteria and biofilms,” directly addresses the challenges of maintaining hygiene in salmon aquaculture, a rapidly growing sector of global food production. The research emphasizes that deficiencies in salmon quality or safety can have widespread repercussions, making robust food safety controls essential.
Another research area explored by Reiche, as detailed in a 2025 publication co-authored with Anita Nordeng Jakobsen, Sunniva Hoel, and Gunhild Hageskal, investigates shifts in surface microbiota in broiler processing plants. This work utilized robotic high-throughput screening to reveal incomplete biofilm eradication, suggesting that current disinfection methods may not be sufficient to eliminate bacterial contamination in poultry production.
Reiche, who can be reached at thorben.reiche@ntnu.no, is affiliated with the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. His work builds on a growing body of evidence suggesting that a more nuanced and adaptive approach to sanitation is needed to ensure the safety of both chicken and salmon products.
