Broad-Spectrum Hybrid and Engineered Bacteriocins for Food Biopreservation: What Will Be the Future of Bacteriocins?

Abstract

Bacteriocins of lactic acid bacteria (BAL) have been used for the biopreservation of food for at least 50 years now. In fact, many bacteriocin-producing bacteria are used as starter cultures in fermentation processes on a large scale. BAL are generally recognized as safe and that is why the unique approved bacteriocins to be used in the food industry are produced by BAL. In this regard, nisin may be even used directly as a food additive. Bacteriocins are currently considered as a valuable natural alternative to the use of chemical preservatives in foods. Furthermore, antibacterial bacteriocin-containing plastic films and containers are also being developed.However, the spectrum of action of most bacteriocins is restricted, and consequently bacteriocins produced by BAL act, with few exceptions, only on other lactic acid and Gram-positive bacteria. The limitation on the antibacterial spectrum of bacteriocins is a major problem for the control of Gram negative bacteria in food. Among the Gram negative pathogens responsible for deaths and epidemics of awful consequences, Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli are the most worrying organisms. However, other pathoges such as Shigella, enteropathogenic E. coli and Campylobacter are also important and cannot be underestimated.In this chapter we focus on the development of new hybrid and genetically engineered bacteriocins that display broader antibacterial spectra for food biopreservation. Additionally, we review legal and technical issues to be taken into consideration for their application in the food industry.