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Bacteriocins as food preservatives: Challenges and emerging horizons
Eldin Maliyakkal Johnson1,2, Dr Yong-Gyun Jung3, Dr Ying-Yu Jin4
1a Centre for Nutraceutical and Pharmaceutical Materials , College of Natural Science , Myongji University , Yongin , Korea.
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
|September 8, 2017
Summary
Bacteriocins, antimicrobial peptides from bacteria, offer a natural alternative to chemical preservatives for maintaining food freshness. This review explores their characteristics, applications, and challenges in food preservation.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Microbiology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Growing consumer demand for fresh-like foods necessitates alternatives to chemical preservatives.
- Chemical preservatives in processed foods pose potential health risks.
- Bacteriocins offer a natural preservation strategy by inhibiting bacterial growth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review bacteriocins, focusing on Gram-positive bacterial sources.
- To highlight bacteriocins' desirable characteristics for food preservation.
- To discuss challenges and strategies for effective application in food systems.
Main Methods:
- Review of scientific literature on bacteriocins.
- Analysis of bacteriocin properties and applications in various food matrices.
- Examination of industrial aspects including strain improvement and purification.
Main Results:
- Bacteriocins exhibit antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of bacteria.
- Successful applications of bacteriocins in diverse food systems have been documented.
- Various strategies exist to overcome challenges in bacteriocin utilization.
Conclusions:
- Bacteriocins are promising natural food preservatives with significant potential.
- Further research into producer strain improvement and engineered bacteriocins is ongoing.
- Bacteriocins represent a viable alternative to synthetic preservatives in the food industry.
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