Potential Impact of Combined Inhibition by Bacteriocins and Chemical Substances of Foodborne Pathogenic and Spoilage Bacteria: A Review

• Published in: Foods Vol. 12; no. 16; p. 3128
• Main Authors: Yu, Wei, Guo, Jinqi, Liu, Yuanyuan, Xue, Xiaoge, Wang, Xiangru, Wei, Lili, Ma, Jiage
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Antibacterial activity; antibacterial mechanism; Antibiotics; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria; Bacteriocins; Biological products; Chemical composition; chemicals; combination; Dairy products; Drug resistance; Essences and essential oils industry; Essential oils; FDA approval; Food; Food contamination & poisoning; Food industry; Food preservatives; Food safety; Food science; Food spoilage; Foodborne pathogens; Gram-negative bacteria; Gram-positive bacteria; Inflammatory bowel disease; Listeria; Metabolism; Methicillin; Microorganisms; Molecular weight; nisin; Organic acids; Pathogens; Peptides; Plant extracts; Preservatives; Public health; Review; Ribosomes; Safety and security measures; Shelf life; Spoilage; Staphylococcus infections; Substrates
• ISSN: 2304-8158; 2304-8158
• DOI: 10.3390/foods12163128

In recent years, food safety caused by foodborne pathogens and spoilage bacteria has become a major public health problem worldwide. Bacteriocins are a kind of antibacterial peptide synthesized by microbial ribosomes, and are widely used as food preservatives. However, when used individually bacteriocins may have limitations such as high cost of isolation and purification, narrow inhibitory spectrum, easy degradation by enzymes, and vulnerability to complex food environments. Numerous studies have demonstrated that co-treatment with bacteriocins and a variety of chemical substances can have synergistic antibacterial effects on spoilage microorganisms and foodborne pathogens, effectively prolonging the shelf life of food and ensuring food safety. Therefore, this paper systematically summarizes the synergistic bacteriostatic strategies of bacteriocins in combination with chemical substances such as essential oils, plant extracts, and organic acids. The impacts of bacteriocins when used individually and in combination with other chemical substances on different food substrates are clarified, and bacteriocin–chemical substance compositions that enhance antibacterial effectiveness and reduce the potential negative effects of chemical preservatives are highlighted and discussed. Combined treatments involving bacteriocins and different kinds of chemical substances are expected to be a promising new antibacterial method and to become widely used in both the food industry and biological medicine.