Synthesis of nisin as well as biomass production by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis CECT (Colección Española de Cultivos Tipo) 539 on both hydrolysed mussel-processing waste and whey medium were followed in three fixed volume fed-batch fermentations, with re-alkalization cycles. The two cultures on mussel-processing waste (MPW) were fed with a 240 g/l concentrated glucose and with a concentrated MPW (about 100 g of glucose/l). The culture on whey was fed with a mixture of concentrated whey (48 g of total sugars/l) and a 400 g/l concentrated lactose. The three cultures were mainly characterized with higher nisin titres [49.7, 109.6 and 124.7 bacteriocin activity units (AU)/ml respectively] compared with the batch process on de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe [(1960) J. Appl. Bacteriol. 23, 130-135] medium (49.6 AU/ml), MPW (9.5 AU/ml) and whey (22.5 AU/ml) [1 AU/ml is the amount of antibacterial compound needed to obtain 50% growth inhibition (LD50) compared with control tubes]. In the three fed-batch cultures a shift from homolactic to mixed-acid fermentation was observed, and other products (acetic acid, butane-2,3-diol or ethanol) in addition to lactic acid were detectable in the medium. However, their contributions to the total antibacterial activity of the post-incubates (the cell-free culture supernatant obtained at the end of the fermentation process) of L. lactis CECT 539 against Carnobacterium piscicola CECT 4020 were very low.