Invited review: Current perspectives for analyzing the dairy biofilms by integrated multiomics

Biofilms formed by pathogenic or spoilage microorganisms have become serious issues in the dairy industry, as this mode of life renders such microorganisms highly resistant to cleaning-in-place (CIP) procedures, disinfectants, desiccation, and other control strategies. The advent of omics techniques, especially the integration of different omics tools, has greatly improved our understanding of the features of microbial biofilms, and provided in-depth knowledge on developing effective methods that are directly against deleterious biofilms. This review provides novel insights into the single use of each omics tool and the application of multiomics tools to unravel the mechanisms of biofilm formation, specific molecular phenotypes exhibited by biofilms, and biofilm control strategies. Challenges and future perspective on the integration of omics tools for biofilm studies are also addressed.