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: The development of effective technologies to cope with persistent and progressive global problems in the areas of human health and sustainable development has become an imperative worldwide challenge. The search for natural alternatives has led to the discovery of bacteriocins, which are potent protein antimicrobial compounds produced by most bacteria. The relevance of these molecules is evidenced by the more than 4,500 papers published in the last decade in Scopus index journals highlighting their versatility and potential to impact various aspects of daily life, including the food industry, medicine, and agriculture. Bacteriocins have demonstrated antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anticancer activity, and they also act as microbiota regulators and plant growth promoters. This mini-review aims to provide insights into the current state and emerging roles of bacteriocins, as well as their potential and limitations as feasible solutions against current diverse global problems.

Foodborne illness outbreaks caused by consuming cantaloupe melon contaminated with Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli O157:H7 are recurrent. The objective of this work was to investigate the antimicrobial effect of the combination of chitosan (Q) and extracellular metabolites of Pediococcus pentosaceus CM175 (EmPp) on the surface of cantaloupe against E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium. The minimum inhibitory and bactericide concentrations (MIC and MBC) of Q and EmPp were determined by the method of microdilution in broth and viability in plate, respectively. The antimicrobial effect derived from the combination of Q and EmPp was evaluated using the chessboard technique. The antimicrobial activity of the different treatments in cantaloupe was performed employing plate counting. The viability and membrane integrity of S. Typhimurium and E. coli O157:H7 after treatments application were observed by fluorescence microscopy. The results showed that MIC and MBC of Q against S. Typhimurium were 0.1% and 0.7%, respectively; 0.004% and 0.03% for E. coli O157:H7, respectively; for EmPp, MIC was 8.0% and MBC was 10% for both bacteria. The combination of 0.1% Q and 6.6% EmPp against S. Typhimurium and 0.01% Q and 5.0% EmPp against E. coli O157:H7 showed an additive effect. The highest reductions of S. Typhimurium and E. coli O157:H7 in cantaloupe were exerted by the combinations of 0.1% Q with 6.6% EmPp and 0.01% Q with 5.0% EmPp, respectively. These results show that combination of Q and EmPp could be an effective and promising alternative against the tested pathogens.