ABSTRACT
Beneficial microbes are the group of microorganisms, which play an important role in environmental sustainability and impact human health. Foodborne pathogenic microorganisms are of major concern to consumers, the food industry, and regulatory authorities. Other harmful microorganisms spoil the food, decrease its shelf life, and thus cause considerable economic losses. Despite the recent advances in food processing technologies, disease transmission by food remains a threat to public health. Commercial food products are preserved mostly by combinations of traditional physical processes and chemical preservatives. Alternative natural antimicrobial agents are increasingly demanded by consumers, a trend that the food industry is obligated to follow. This chapterelaborates selected natural antimicrobials agents that are potentially usable as food preservatives. Lantibiotics are emphasized, along with their biosynthesis, mode of action, genetic engineering, and chemical synthesis. This chapter introduces new trends in foodborne diseases intervention and describes the latest development in the use of bacteriophages as a food processing aid. Recently, the use of bacteriophages in food has received regulatory approvals from the US Food and Drug Administration.
