Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the most frequently used agents for bioprotection because of their capability to produce bactericidal organic acids (e.g., acetic and lactic and acids) and bacteriocins, defined as peptides able to hamper microorganism growth by interfering with the structure of the cell membrane and/or cell wall.
While the literature on the use of bacteriocins and LAB to inhibit the growth of foodborne pathogens is large, only in the last years scientists have put efforts in order to exploit this approach also to limit the growth of spoilage microorganisms, thereby increasing food shelf life, mainly fresh produce.
The use of starter cultures able to produce antimicrobial substances and the direct employment of the purified bacteriocins are both considered as bioprotection interventions. While in the first case it is essential to understand if the bacteriocin is produced also when the strain faces the food environment, which for ecological and technological reasons often results to be stressful, in the second option regulatory aspects have to be taken into account. Lastly, the functionalization of packaging films with bacteriocins has recently been proposed as a way to extend the shelf life, especially of meat and meat products.
In this contribution, an overview of bacteriocins in food production and the challenges inherent with their use will be presented, taking into account also the limitation of their use as food ingredients.