Bacteriocin-mediated food preservation in conjugation with silver nanoparticles: A green approach
Atanu Manna, Rittick Mondal
Abstract
Food rotting is a serious issue in the food sector. The food industry's increasing need to extend the shelf life and avoid the deterioration of diverse food items has prompted the development of novel preservatives and conservation technologies. Although numerous chemical preservatives are used to prevent food spoiling, these chemically synthesised preservatives have serious negative consequences on human health. In this scenario, naturally inherent, harmless lactic acid bacteria or antimicrobial peptides produced by them have drawn a lot of consideration in the scientific community. Bacteriocins are proteinaceous antimicrobial peptides synthesised by lactic acid bacteria that are widely employed as bio-preservatives and alternatives to standard antibiotics to combat the problem of drug-resistant infections. Recently, much emphasis has been placed on using bacteriocins to target food spoilage causing harmful microorganisms without having notable adverse effects. Nonetheless, bacteriocins have the drawback of having a limited antibacterial range and a high dose demand. Bacteriocin-nanoconjugates have recently come to prominence as a possible approach for overcoming these barriers. In this work, we have deliberated the various types of bacteriocin and their inherent properties, with their multifaceted mode of action against food pathogens. Along with this, we have also discussed the potential application of bacteriocin-silver nano-conjugation.