Enterocins in food preservation

The Enterococcus genus, a member of the Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) is found in various environments, but more particularly in the intestines of humans and other animals. Although sometimes associated with pathogenicity these bacteria have many benefits. They have been found in traditional artisanal fermented products, are used as probiotic cultures and nowadays extensively studied for the production of bacteriocins--the enterocins. Many of these enterocins have been found to be active against Listeria monocytogenes, and a few have also been reported to be active even against Gram negative bacteria, an unusual property for the bacteriocins produced by LAB. These properties have resulted in many studies describing the use of enterocins as preservatives in foods of animal and vegetable origin. This review covers the most recent information on the use of enterocins as food preservatives, either produced in-situ by the addition of enterocin producing strains or as external preservatives in the form of purified or semi-purified extracts, to prevent the growth of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms.