Bioprotective Strategies to Control Listeria monocytogenes in Food Products and Processing Environments

Listeria monocytogenes is a highly pathogenic foodborne bacteria that is responsible for listeriosis, a serious infectious disease characterized by a high mortality rate among vulnerable populations such as the immunocompromised, pregnant women and the elderly. Moreover, its pathogenicity, its capacity to persist in food processing environments and proliferate in adverse conditions like low temperatures and high salt concentrations, and its ability to generate biofilms make it a major contaminant affecting ready-to-eat food products. In response to this potential public health threat, the agrifood industry has traditionally adopted conventional control methods including thermal treatment and chemical preservatives. However, these approaches have their limitations, especially in terms of efficacy, organoleptic impact and consumer acceptability. In this context, innovative biocontrol strategies are increasingly attracting interest among scientific and industrial stakeholders. This review reports a global overview of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenicity and survival abilities of Listeria monocytogenes in food commodities and processing equipment, as well as a current state of the use of protective cultures and antimicrobial peptides as promising biological-based approaches to control and prevent Listeria monocytogenes in food products and food processing.