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Microbial production of bacteriocins and its applications in food preservation: A review.

Tanushree Ghosh, Aloke Purkait, Binoy Garai, Argha Banerjee*

Bacteriocins, a heterogeneous group of bioactive bacterial peptides or proteins, are ribosomally synthesized that inhibit or kill other related or unrelated microorganisms. They are industrially attractive molecules because of their great potential as natural preservatives in food, feed and cosmetic industries and other fields such as feeds, organic fertilizers, environmental protection and personal care products. For decades, synthetic chemical preservatives for the preservation of food are successful to some extent, their quality is not as satisfying as fresh food. However, heavy dependence on these drugs has led to significant drawbacks which propel the continuous development of bacteriocins as an herbal bactericide. Their narrow target range, high activity, surprising stability and low toxicity position them as viable alternatives or complements to existing chemical preservatives. Since they pose no health risk concerns, soon bacteriocins are largely dependent on their use as safe food preservatives. This article gives an overview of the classification of bacteriocins, isolation and characterization, and mode of action. Besides, this article stated the potential applications of bacteriocin in the bactericidal formulations sector. Special emphasis has been provided on explaining the beneficial aspects of NISIN.