Lactic Acid Bacteria and their Metabolites as a Biopreservative in Fresh Produce

Trends and globalized trade in fresh produce consumption is a challenge and an opportunity to the agri-food sector. An urgent pursuit to develop new efficient antimicrobial agents that show effectiveness across the distribution chain and food manufacturing units have flourished. Among the many strategies proposed for preserving minimally processed fruits and vegetables, bio-preservation is a promising tool. Therefore, the use of lactic acid bacteria and its metabolites (organic acids, hydrogen peroxide, antifungal peptides, and bacteriocins) appeal much interest during recent years. The adjuvant production of lactic acid during growth bestows LAB with notable selective advantages in the diverse ecological niches. Hence, their potential as preservatives in many food matrices appears to be enormous. Notably, authorized regulatory agencies are well for widespread commercial use, the agents remain small. Food bio-preservation is a novel method of preservation that is benignly an ecological approach with natural microflora and non-toxic biologically active compounds. In this review, we delineate several aspects of lactic acid bacteria, antimicrobial potential of potent metabolites, summarize the mechanisms of antimicrobial action and finally,recent potential applications in the curtailment of food borne pathogens.