The aim of this work was to investigate the adhesion of Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 15313 to glass,
granite, marble, polypropylene from a bowl (PPb), polypropylene from a cutting board (PPcb) and stainless
steel (SS), which are materials commonly used in kitchens. Marble and granite were chosen because they are
applied as kitchen bench covers and pavements in many countries and there are no literature reports on their
behaviour in terms of microbial adhesion. The effect of surface hydrophobicity and roughness on the
adhesion process was also analysed. The results showed that the highest extent of adhesion of
L. monocytogenes occurred to stainless steel, followed by glass and in less extent to the other materials
studied. However, it was not possible to establish a correlation between surface hydrophobicity or roughness
and the extent of adhesion of L. monocytogenes. The adherence of L. monocytogenes should be dependent on
other factors, like the presence of exopolymers and surface charge.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT
