Bacteriocins as promising antimicrobial peptides, definition, classification, and their potential applications in cheeses

There is increased importance to finding alternative solutions to antibiotic resistance which require more research, bacteriocins are promising antimicrobial peptides with inhibitory and bactericidal activities that might be one of these solutions. Bacteriocins are small antimicrobial peptides synthesized by bacterial ribosomes, active against the bacterial pathogen, multidrug-resistant bacteria, and cancer therapy. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are one of the most used bacteria to produce bacteriocins and dairy products (i.e. cheeses) consider rich sources of LAB isolates. Enterococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus fermentum, L. plantarum, L. helveticus, L. pentosus, L. paracasei subsp. paracasei, L. rhamnosus I, and L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis are strong strains in bacteriocins production. Several applications were applied to control bacterial pathogens spread in cheeses, one of them is using bacteriocins and bacteriocins-like inhibitory substances (BLIS). To reduce foodborne pathogens and spoilage bacteria in cheese, bacteriocins can be applied in several means such as inoculating cheese with bacteriocin-producer strain and adding purified or semi-purified bacteriocin as a food additive. This review is focused on bacteriocins and BLIS classification, mechanism, and applications in dairy products i.e. cheeses.

Keywords:
bacteriocins; antimicrobials; Lactic acid bacteria; foodborne pathogens; cheese