Method for reducing the content of pathogenic organisms present in food materials

The present invention relates to a method for reducing the concentration of pathogenic organisms such as Listeria spp. in fermented food products. The method comprises the steps of: (i) providing a food material, (ii) mixing said food material with a starter culture, (iii) mixing the food material with at least one adjunct culture in form of a bacteriocin-producing Pediococcus species, (iv) subjecting the mixture provided in step (iii) to a fermentation process, said fermentation process being con-ducted at conditions that are sub-optimal for growth of the bacteriocin-producing Pediococcus species in order to provide a limited acidification and allow for a high production of bacteriocin, and obtain a fermented food product. Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of bacteriocin-producing Pediococcus species as an adjunct culture for securing microbial safety of fermented food products.