b'Case Study DETECTION & ELIMINATION OF BIOFILM CONTAMINATIONHelping to support biofilm models to assess novel interventionsFreedom Hygiene is a technology driven company whose mission is to seek out innovative solutions that enable food manufacturers and processors to reduce bacterial contamination in their facilities, extend production runs and, where applicable, prolong product shelf life. Since 2016 Freedom Hygiene has developed a systemConfocal laser scanning microscopy 20 x objective that enables the rapid detection of bacterial biofilmslens. Left: Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm. Right: After one treatment with Biozyme hard surface in food and beverage manufacturing facilities.Thesecleaner. Biozyme hard surface cleaner looks to be an biofilms are then quickly removed using innovativeeffective treatment of clinically relevant pathogenic enzyme based cleaning detergents.bacterial biofilms including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.The company have been NBIC industry partnersThe outcome of the project was very successful and since 2019 and have been working with academicsas a result NBIC awarded the company a second throughout the UK, trialling new technologies forvoucher to support the project further. In June 2024 the elimination of food pathogens such as Listeriathe results of the project obtained by using different monocytogenes. The company have also been workingbiofilm models found the technology to be an effective in partnership with NBIC industry partners Campdentreatment of clinically relevant pathogenic bacterial BRI. Freedom Hygiene are now working to transferbiofilms. Paul Browning, Managing Director and their expertise and experiential knowledge into theFounder of Freedom Hygiene said, healthcare sector.In May 2023, the companys Managing DirectorWithout NBICs support and the Innovation Vouchers, and Founder Paul Browninggave a 5-minute pitchwe would have been unable to undertake the work for a surrounding their technology at an NBIC showcaseconsiderable amount of time, which would have delayed event in Nottingham, run in collaboration with Medilinkthe adoption of the innovation into the healthcare Midlands. NBIC recognised the that the technologysector, impacting on patient health and safety. would be of be of huge value to healthcare andThe company now plan to test the technology in a real-awarded Freedom Hygiene with an NBIC Innovationworld hospital setting and create a case study to be used Voucher. The voucher scheme aims to fund projectsto pursue discussions with hospitals and healthcare that develop new products or services which help theproviders, ultimately increasing their product offering industry partner innovate and grow as a business.and expansion into additional markets.The project aimed to determine how well the technology was able to remove biofilms containing pathogens related to the to the healthcare industry. Paul BrowningPaul Browning is Managing Director at Freedom Hygiene Limited. He has many years of experience working in the food and beverage industry, first as a microbiologist with the PHLS, andfood manufacturers before spending 17 years with Diversey in the UK and Europe developing business in the food and drinks industries. In 1995 Paul created his own company from scratch manufacturing and supplying cleaning chemicals and technical support primarily to breweries and soft drinks plants. That company was subsequently sold to Diversey and in 2016 Paul created Freedom Hygiene.55'