ABSTRACT
The modern food industry is undergoing dramatic changes due to increasing consumer demands for “natural,” “fresh,” and nonprocessed or minimally processed foods with reduced use of chemical preservatives, yet remaining healthy and safe. Minimizing processing and reducing the use of preservatives, however, could lead to increased safety risks. In addition, the large number of outbreaks caused by the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes indicates that current preservation practices need improvement. The use of antibiotics used in human therapy as an auxiliary treatment to control contaminants is a highly criticized practice because of the possible interference in the control of human diseases. During recent years, these facts have led to the growing interest in naturally produced antimicrobial agents and, therefore, biopreservation.
