In a study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2024, Vol. 90, No. 11(Lin et al.) entitled Salmonella dry surface biofilm: morphology, single-cell landscape, and sanitization, Salmonella Typhimurium dry surface biofilm (DSB) formation was investigated in comparison with wet surface biofilm (WSB) development. Confocal laser scanning microscopic analysis revealed a prominent green cell signal during WSB formation, whereas a red signal predominated during DSB formation. Electron microscopy was also used to compare the features of DSB and WSB. WSB was unevenly scattered over the surface, whereas DSB was evenly dispersed. In contrast to WSB cells, which have a distinct plasma membrane and outer membrane layer, DSB cells are compressed and contained in large capsules. Microbiome single-cell transcriptomics was used to investigate the functional heterogeneity of the Salmonella DSB microbiome, with nine clusters successfully identified. Although over 60% of the dried cells were metabolically inactive, the remaining Salmonella cells still demonstrated specific antioxidative and virulence capabilities, suggesting a possible concern for low-moisture food (LMF) safety. Because sanitization in LMF industries must be conducted without water, a list of 39 flavonoids was tested for their combined effect with 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) against DSB, and morin induced the greatest reduction in the green: red ratio from 3.67 to 0.43. Significantly higher reductions of Salmonella viability in DSB were achieved by 10-, 100-, 1,000-, and 10,000-µg/mL morin (1.69 ± 0.25, 3.21 ± 0.23, 4.32 ± 0.24, and 5.18 ± 0.16 log CFU/sample reductions) than 70% IPA alone (1.55 ± 0.20 log CFU/sample reduction) (P < 0.05), indicating the potential to be formulated as a dry sanitizer for the LMF industry. DSB cells are surrounded by a dense, compact shell that likely contributes to their higher antimicrobial resistance (AMR), while WSB cells display distinct plasma and outer membrane layers. Based on their findings, the team developed a waterless antibiofilm sanitization protocol specifically designed for low-moisture food production environments, which combines flavonoid morin with 70 percent isopropyl alcohol. @ https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/aem.01623-24