Characterization of Bacteriocins Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria of Industrial Interest

Abstract

The ability of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to ferment food and beverages has been used since ancient times because of their beneficial influence on nutritional, organoleptic, and shelf-life properties. The use of bacteriocins from LAB in foods is considered safe for human health since they are produced by LAB generally used for or isolated from fermented foods. Many bacteriocin-producing LAB are recognized as safe and they are found and isolated from food material. Bacteriocins can be applied in foods through diverse approaches: addition of the purified bacteriocin as food additive, addition of a bacteriocin-containing pre-fermented product, direct inoculation of the food with the bacteriocinogenic strain or as a protective biofilm or coating on the surface of foods. Consumption of fermented food has had abrupt growth due to the increasing interest of consumers for natural products and the boom in healthy diets. Bacteriocin production is influenced by diverse factors, temperature, pH, and composition of the medium.