Application of Bacteriocins Produced from Lactic Acid Bacteria for Microbiological Food Safety

Foodborne disease caused by pathogenic bacteria is one of main concerns in food industry. To supply safe food products, chemical and thermal intervention technologies have been widely applied in food industry, however these treatments have their own limitations. The concept of biopreservation has recently received increased attention in response to industrial and consumer demands. The biopreservation technologies mainly include bacteriocin, bacteriophage, bacteriophage-encoded enzymes, and endolysins. Among them, bacteriocins have been widely recognized as a main biopreservative and have also been most studied. Bacteriocins, mainly consisting of antibacterial peptides, may have bactericidal or bacteriostatic effect which could prolong the shelf-life as well as maintain safety of foods. This review article offers a brief research trend about bacteriocins, focusing on microbial food safety. The antimicrobial mechanism of bacteriocins has been discussed and some efforts to inactivate foodborne pathogens have been analyzed in this review article. The challenges facing the application of bacteriocins have also been evaluated. Thus, this review will provide insights for researchers working in bacteriocin as well as industry personnel looking for a new method for fighting foodborne pathogens.