Application of QPS- and GRAS-status microorganisms and bacteriocins for sustainable food preservation

Food quality deterioration due to microbial contamination and consequent spoilage represents a major challenge for the food industry. This growing concern creates the need for sustainable, effective, and consumer-safe solutions. The increasing consumer awareness of the potential risks for human health of synthetic preservatives forces the demand for the use of natural alternatives. One promising solution involves the administration of natural biopreservatives, including microorganisms with Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) or Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status, as well as antimicrobial compounds derived from such microbes. This review highlights the application of QPS- and GRAS-status microbial strains and/or the antimicrobials they produce in several food categories, such as dairy, meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, and baked products, as natural bioprotective cultures/peptides against spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. Considering the increasing threat generated by foodborne pathogens carrying antibiotic resistance genes, we also explore the targeted use of antimicrobials, particularly bacteriocins, to selectively inhibit these harmful microbes in food products. Furthermore, we examine strategies to enhance the antimicrobial effectiveness of bacteriocins against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, using a combination of bacteriocins with membrane-permeabilizing agents like ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), organic acids, essential oils, and chitosan-based coatings. Overall, this review aims to uncover the potential of replacing synthetic preservatives with natural, consumer-friendly safe cultures as preservatives and clean-label antimicrobials, offering a promising solution on reducing global food waste.