Editing Food preservation (section)

=== Biopreservation ===
[[File:Nisin 1WCO.png|thumb|right|3D stick model of [[nisin]]. Some [[lactic acid bacteria]] manufacture nisin. It is a particularly effective preservative.]]
{{Main|Biopreservation}}

[[Biopreservation]] is the use of natural or controlled [[Microflora|microbiota]] or [[antimicrobial]]s as a way of preserving food and extending its [[shelf life]].<ref name="Ananou1 et al" /> Beneficial bacteria or the [[fermentation (biochemistry)|fermentation]] products produced by these bacteria are used in biopreservation to control spoilage and render [[pathogen]]s inactive in food.<ref name="Yousef&Carlstrom">Yousef AE and Carolyn Carlstrom C (2003) [https://books.google.com/books?id=aYORXplZq0wC&dq=biopreservation&pg=PA226 ''Food microbiology: a laboratory manual''] Wiley, Page 226. {{ISBN|978-0-471-39105-0}}.</ref> It is a benign ecological approach which is gaining increasing attention.<ref name="Ananou1 et al">Ananou S, Maqueda M, Martínez-Bueno M and Valdivia E (2007) [http://www.formatex.org/microbio/pdf/Pages475-486.pdf "Biopreservation, an ecological approach to improve the safety and shelf-life of foods"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726061822/http://www.formatex.org/microbio/pdf/Pages475-486.pdf |date=26 July 2011 }} In: A. Méndez-Vilas (Ed.) ''Communicating Current Research and Educational Topics and Trends in Applied Microbiology'', Formatex. {{ISBN|978-84-611-9423-0}}.</ref>

[[Lactic acid bacteria]] (LAB) have antagonistic properties that make them particularly useful as biopreservatives. When LABs compete for nutrients, their [[metabolite]]s often include active antimicrobials such as lactic acid, acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and [[peptide]] [[bacteriocin]]s. Some LABs produce the antimicrobial [[nisin]], which is a particularly effective preservative.<ref name="FAO preservation">FAO: [http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/12322/en Preservation techniques] Fisheries and aquaculture department, Rome. Updated 27 May 2005. Retrieved 14 March 2011.</ref><ref>Alzamora SM, Tapia MS and López-Malo A (2000) [https://books.google.com/books?id=2gTCY5Dvha4C&dq=biopreservation&pg=PA266 ''Minimally processed fruits and vegetables: fundamental aspects and applications''] Springer, p. 266. {{ISBN|978-0-8342-1672-3}}.</ref>

LAB bacteriocins are used in the present day as an integral part of [[hurdle technology]]. Using them in combination with other preservative techniques can effectively control spoilage bacteria and other pathogens, and can inhibit the activities of a wide spectrum of organisms, including inherently resistant [[Gram-negative bacteria]].<ref name="Ananou1 et al" />