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

Abstract

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.

Antibiotic Resistance of the Campylobacter Isolates According to Their Species in Different Samples of Broiler Chicken in Many Regions

“…It is known that meat is susceptible to spoilage and meat quality is related to microbiological and biochemical quality. There is a trend of "New food" on the market and consumers want the meat to be with as few chemical additives as possible (Ibrahim et al 2021). Reduced salt content, reduction of chemical preservatives, use of vacuum, is known as a "Mild technology" whose disadvantages are the increase of bacteria in various meat products (Verma et al 2022).…”

Expression of rhlR gene in Pseudomonas aeruginosa affected by Lactobacillus spp

“…Lactobacillus is characterised as potent and important bacteria due to their advantages in controlling other microorganisms. The agents responsible for antimicrobial activity in Lactobacillus are varies, for example, production antimicrobial molecules such as H2O2, organic acids and bacteriocins (Ibrahim et al, 2021). Several mechanisms were proposed to explain the action of probiotic bacteria against other bacteria.…”

Inhibitory Effect of Lactiplantibacillusplantarum and Lactococcus lactis Autochtonous Strains against Listeria monocytogenes in a Laboratory Cheese Model

“…The continuous attention of consumers versus natural and healthy food has led food research and industry to investigate the use of naturally occurring compounds (biopreservatives) in foods processing and preservation and to reduce the utilization of chemical additives as antimicrobials [ 1 ]. To this end, the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has been described as an interesting approach for food biopreservation in alternative to chemicals and is also regarded by the consumer as a lower risk food preservation [ 2 , 3 ].…”