The use of biomimetic surfaces to reduce single- and dual-species biofilms of and .

The ability of bacteria to adhere to and form biofilms on food contact surfaces poses serious challenges, as these may lead to the cross-contamination of food products. Biomimetic topographic surface modifications have been explored to enhance the antifouling performance of materials. In this study, the topography of two plant leaves, var. (cauliflower, CF) and (white cabbage, WC), was replicated through wax moulding, and their antibiofilm potential was tested against single- and dual-species biofilms of and . Biomimetic surfaces exhibited higher roughness values ( = 4.0 ± 1.0 μm and  = 3.3 ± 1.0 μm) than the flat control ( = 0.6 ± 0.2 μm), whilst the CF surface demonstrated a lower interfacial free energy () than the WC surface (-100.08 mJ m and -71.98 mJ m, respectively). The CF and WC surfaces had similar antibiofilm effects against single-species biofilms, achieving cell reductions of approximately 50% and 60% for and , respectively, compared to the control. Additionally, the biomimetic surfaces led to reductions of up to 60% in biovolume, 45% in thickness, and 60% in the surface coverage of single-species biofilms. For dual-species biofilms, only the strain growing on the WC surface exhibited a significant decrease in the cell count. However, confocal microscopy analysis revealed a 60% reduction in the total biovolume and surface coverage of mixed biofilms developed on both biomimetic surfaces. Furthermore, dual-species biofilms were mainly composed of , which reduced growth. Altogether, these results demonstrate that the surface properties of CF and WC biomimetic surfaces have the potential for reducing biofilm formation.