The influence of metallic surface wettability on bacterial adhesion

The wettability of AISI 304 stainless steel with 2B and 2RB surface finishes expressed in terms of the solid surface free energy was investigated with respect to the cleaning process. It was shown that cleaning affects the wettability of a solid surface. Depending on the cleaning method, ranged from 43.4 to 277.8 mJ m -2 for the 2RB surface and from 34.4 to 122.8 mJ m 2 for the 2B surface. There was no direct relationship between the number of adhering bacteria and or the wettability of solids. However, it was found that the adhesion of Streptococcus thermophilus was driven by a balance between and The experimental results are as expected based on thermodynamic predictions when the spreading pressure is accounted for in the surface free energy of bacteria, determination.