TY - JOUR

T1 - Lactic Acid Bacteria as Antimicrobial Agents: Food Safety and Microbial Food Spoilage Prevention

AU - Ibrahim, Salam A.

AU - Ayivi, Raphael D.

AU - Zimmerman, Tahl

AU - Siddiqui, Shahida Anusha

AU - Altemimi, Ammar B.

AU - Fidan, Hafize

AU - Esatbeyoglu, Tuba

AU - Bakhshayesh, Reza Vaseghi

N1 - Funding Information: Grants or project numbers NC.X337-5-21-170-1 and NC.X341-5-21-170-1 from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This publication was made possible by grants or project numbers NC.X337-5-21-170-1 and NC.X341-5-21-170-1 from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIFA. The authors would also like to acknowledge the financial support of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Agricultural Research Station at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (Greensboro, NC 27411, USA).

PY - 2021/12/17

Y1 - 2021/12/17

N2 - In the wake of continual foodborne disease outbreaks in recent years, it is critical to focus on strategies that protect public health and reduce the incidence of foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. Currently, there are limitations associated with conventional microbial control methods, such as the use of chemical preservatives and heat treatments. For example, such conventional treatments adversely impact the sensorial properties of food, resulting in undesirable organoleptic characteristics. Moreover, the growing consumer advocacy for safe and healthy food products, and the resultant paradigm shift toward clean labels, have caused an increased interest in natural and effective antimicrobial alternatives. For instance, natural antimicrobial elements synthesized by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are generally inhibitory to pathogens and significantly impede the action of food spoilage organisms. Bacteriocins and other LAB metabolites have been commercially exploited for their antimicrobial properties and used in many applications in the dairy industry to prevent the growth of undesirable microorganisms. In this review, we summarized the natural antimicrobial compounds produced by LAB, with a specific focus on the mechanisms of action and applications for microbial food spoilage prevention and disease control. In addition, we provide support in the review for our recommendation for the application of LAB as a potential alternative antimicrobial strategy for addressing the challenges posed by antibiotic resistance among pathogens.

AB - In the wake of continual foodborne disease outbreaks in recent years, it is critical to focus on strategies that protect public health and reduce the incidence of foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. Currently, there are limitations associated with conventional microbial control methods, such as the use of chemical preservatives and heat treatments. For example, such conventional treatments adversely impact the sensorial properties of food, resulting in undesirable organoleptic characteristics. Moreover, the growing consumer advocacy for safe and healthy food products, and the resultant paradigm shift toward clean labels, have caused an increased interest in natural and effective antimicrobial alternatives. For instance, natural antimicrobial elements synthesized by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are generally inhibitory to pathogens and significantly impede the action of food spoilage organisms. Bacteriocins and other LAB metabolites have been commercially exploited for their antimicrobial properties and used in many applications in the dairy industry to prevent the growth of undesirable microorganisms. In this review, we summarized the natural antimicrobial compounds produced by LAB, with a specific focus on the mechanisms of action and applications for microbial food spoilage prevention and disease control. In addition, we provide support in the review for our recommendation for the application of LAB as a potential alternative antimicrobial strategy for addressing the challenges posed by antibiotic resistance among pathogens.

KW - Antimicrobial

KW - Bacteriocin

KW - Biopreservation

KW - Foodborne pathogens

KW - Lactic acid bacteria (LAB)

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121451384&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/foods10123131

DO - 10.3390/foods10123131

M3 - Review article

VL - 10

JO - Foods

JF - Foods

IS - 12

M1 - 3131

ER -