The Antimicrobial Action of Lactic Acid Bacteria: Natural Food Preservation Systems

Abstract

Foods have been preserved by the action of lactic acid bacteria long before the science of microbiology began and it is probable that milk fermented by lactic acid bacteria was consumed at least 11 000 years ago. Man has unwittingly developed a number of fermentation processes to produce a large range of fermented dairy products, vegetables, meats, fish and cereals (Gilliland, 1985; Wood, 1985; Lücke & Earnshaw, 1991). In the Third World many of these fermented foods are produced under relatively unhygienic conditions and yet retain a good record with respect to microbiological safety. Fermentation also alters the sensory characteristics of foods often resulting in a product of increased commercial value, however, this chapter is concerned solely with the antimicrobial action of lactic acid bacteria, particularly those associated with food.