ABSTRACT
The empiric selection of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) by humans for food fermentations of animal- or plant-based dietary substrates has probably contributed, over the ages, to increase the security, safety, and quality of fermented foods around the world. LAB, or even foods made with LAB, are frequently designated in the scientific and technical literature as generally regarded as safe. The wide use of LAB in fermented food is the likely result of their ancient domestication by humans as early as the Neolithic period. The safety of LAB with regard to the potential to cause infections may also be addressed through the examination of the rare published case studies and epidemiological surveys linking clinical cases with LAB, resulting either from food exposure or originating from the human microbiota. The European Union-funded project angiotensin I converting enzyme-ART concluded that antimicrobial resistance was rare among approximately 1400 isolates of LAB of human, animal, food, and feed origin.
