Analysis of bacteria on steel surfaces using reflectance micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Reflectance micro-Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis has been applied to characterize biofilm formation of Aquabacterium commune, a common microorganism present on drinking water distribution systems, onto the increasingly popular pipe material stainless steel EN1.4307. The applicability of the reflectance micro-FT-IR technique for analyzing the bacterial functional groups is discussed, and the results are compared to spectra obtained using more conventional FT-IR techniques: transmission micro-FT-IR, attenuated transmitted reflectance (ATR), and KBr pellets. The differences between the infrared spectra of wet and dried bacteria, as well as free versus attached bacteria, are also discussed. The spectra obtained using reflectance micro-FT-IR spectroscopy were comparable to those obtained using other FT-IR techniques. The absence of sample preparation, the potential to analyze intact samples, and the ability to characterize opaque and thick samples without the need to transfer the bacterial samples to an infrared transparent medium or produce a pure culture were the main advantages of reflectance micro-FT-IR spectroscopy.