Texture analysis of spatial biofilm development

The quantitative evaluation of images taken during biofilm experiments is an important step in determining the relation between biofilm performance and biofilm architecture. Whereas areal descriptors are used by some researchers, descriptors of biofilm texture have received limited attention. In our research, the texture of images documenting long-term biofilm experiments was evaluated using a spatial grey level dependence matrices (SGLDM) approach. By calculating SGLDM for a wide range of position operators (angle–distance combinations), the discriminatory power of this approach was extended. For some descriptors, surface plots allowed the direct spatial interpretation of texture. Using principal component analysis (PCA) a subset of independent textural descriptors was identified. It is suggested to determine textural fingerprints of stages during biofilm development by making use of PCA and biplots.