Current methods for detection of microbial contaminants on surfaces use swabbing/wiping to extract microbes for analysis. This removes easily transferable microbes but fails to extract microbes living in biofilms, which reduces sensitivity and may mask the true degree of contamination. The current disclosure provides an enzyme cocktail that disrupts the biofilm and improves the extraction of live microbes for analysis. Applicant's enzyme system is particularly useful for the application to a variety of surfaces, but particularly on a variety of food processing surfaces. Utilization of Applicant's enzyme cocktail makes possible the extraction of a representative sample of live microorganisms present on a surface, including film forming microorganisms, without affecting non-film forming microorganisms also present on a surface.