Abstract:
Bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides that inhibit foodborne pathogens through diverse molecular mechanisms, offering a sustainable alternative to chemical preservatives while retaining the nutritional and sensory quality of foods during processing, storage, and distribution. This study evaluates bacteriocins in food preservation across four dimensions: biological function, molecular mechanism, technological application, and commercial translation. We analyse the modes of antimicrobial action, the genetic organization and regulation of biosynthetic gene clusters, and the conserved structural motifs underlying peptide stability, target-receptor recognition, and bioactivity. Together, these form a molecular framework for the rational engineering of next-generation bacteriocins with enhanced potency, broader antimicrobial spectra, improved physicochemical stability, and reduced susceptibility to resistance. Recent advances in genome mining, metagenomics, synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, recombinant production platforms, and fermentation process optimization have accelerated the discovery, engineering, and scalable production of novel bacteriocins. We further consolidate recent developments in bacteriocin classification, novel food preservation applications, downstream purification technologies, commercialization pathways, and the expanding landscape of bacteriocin-based commercial products. Major barriers to industrial translation are critically assessed, including low production yields, structural instability during processing, high manufacturing costs, formulation constraints, and regulatory complexity. Overcoming these barriers will require integrated progress in protein engineering, systems and metabolic engineering, scalable bioprocessing, advanced formulation technologies, and harmonized regulatory frameworks. Such convergence will support the widespread industrial adoption of bacteriocin-based preservation technologies and their real-world impact on food safety and sustainability.
Biography:
Prof. M. Krishnan has 40 years of teaching and research experience. During this period he has published 200 research papers in reputed journals and 25 students completed their doctoral programme and are well placed in various countries. He got many awards including Commonwealth Fellowship, UK, DAAD Fellowship, Germany. He never failed to bring grants for the research from various National and International Agencies. By seeing his teaching, research and administrative experience, he was appointed as Vice-Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai and Central University of Tamilnadu. He has visited many countries for scientific discussions.
