A Biomimetic Gellan-Based Hydrogel as a Physicochemical Biofilm Model

Biofilm-forming microorganisms are ubiquitous, but continuous cultivation of these microorganisms with predictable biofilm growth and structural properties remains challenging. The development of a reliable simulated biofilm has been limited by a lack of information about the microorganism subpopulations and fluid-structure interactions involved in biofilm formation and detachment due to mechanical stress. This paper presents a gellan-based hydrogel as an alternative material for a simulated physicochemical biofilm. The use of a gellan-based hydrogel enables the imitation of biofilm behavior in the absence of growth effects, thus simplifying the system. Biofilm characterization tools can be tested and verified before their application to the measurement of slow-growing, highly variable biofilms to estimate system errors, which are often smaller than the biological variations. In general, this method permits faster and more reliable testing of biofilm mechanical properties.