Combined use of bacteriocins and bacteriophages as food biopreservatives. A review

Abstract

Throughout history, humans have consistently developed strategies to prevent food-associated illnesses. However, despite our multiple technological advances, food safety is still an issue of concern. Moreover, there is a demand for gaining access to less processed and naturally preserved food. Food biopreservation, understood as the use of natural antimicrobials already present in food with a long history of safe consumption, is seen as a plausible strategy to reduce the intensity of current preservation technologies (e.g., presence of chemically synthesized food preservatives). In that sense, the combined use of several antimicrobial strategies, known as hurdle technology, has been often chosen as a means to improve the efficacy of food biopreservation. This review intends to summarize the most recent examples of the combined use of bacteriocins and bacteriophages to extend food shelf-life and reduce the risks associated with the presence of foodborne bacteria along the food chain. However, while the efficacy of bacteriocins has been extensively documented, bacteriophages have only started to be assessed as potential food biopreservatives more recently. Within this context, we would like to consider whether these two types of natural antimicrobials would help each other to overcome bottlenecks in food biopreservation.

Keywords: Biopreservation; Food safety; Hurdle technology; Sustainability; Synergy.