Applied Food Biotechnology (Sep 2015)
Inhibition Effect of Lactic Acid Bacteria against Food Born Pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes
Abstract
Disease caused by consuming microbial contaminated food has increased significantly in recent years due to changes in the livelihoods and eating habits of the human populations. Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica are three of the most important foodborne bacterial pathogens and can lead to foodborne diseases. Increased use of antibiotics, has led to development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Therefore, there is growing interest in the development of new types of effective and nontoxic antimicrobial compounds. Nowadays, the most extensive research and commercial practices are based on probiotic bacteria. Probiotics, specifically lactic acid bacteria are widely used in the food industry for fermentation but have gained attention from health professionals because of their potential beneficial effects. Now probiotic therapy is thought to be an effective way to improve the gut health and an alternative to antibiotic treatments. They contribute to food safety by their ability to inhibit the growth of several other bacteria. LAB can be used as protective cultures to compete with potential pathogens and other undesired organisms, thereby increasing the safety of the food product.
