Bacteriocins, small molecules produced by bacteria, inhibit closely related strains and are of interest for food preservation and human health. Lactic acid bacteria produce bacteriocins, including lantibiotics, which can inhibit the growth of disease-causing bacteria. Fermented foods and probiotics are areas where bacteriocins contribute to keeping pathogens out of humans. Research continues to identify new bacteriocins for industrial use.
Bacteriocin is a small molecule, produced by bacteria, that inhibits closely related strains. It is usually a peptide or protein, chains of amino acids of varying size. These compounds are of interest both in basic microbiology studies, as well as for food preservation and improvement of human health.
These toxins are produced by a variety of bacteria. The first to be studied was that of Escherichia coli, a bacterium that lives in the human intestine and is frequently used in laboratory work. It produces a number of bacteriocins, of which the most studied are the colicines.
There are several ways that bacteriocins can affect human health. Our intestines are teeming with a whole microbial world that aids digestion and affects our immune system. Many of these bacteria produce a bacteriocin to help them gain a foothold in competition for resources. When you take antibiotics, they can kill off beneficial bacteria, allowing pathogenic organisms to take over.
One way to prevent this from happening is to eat foods with probiotics, such as boosted yogurt. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms introduced into food so that they can recolonize our intestinal tract. Often these bacteria are part of a group known as lactic acid bacteria, specifically Lactobaccillus species. Lactic acid bacteria convert sugars into lactic acid and other compounds in the absence of oxygen.
Lactic acid bacteria produce several types of bacteriocins, known as lantibiotics. Some of these have been shown to inhibit the growth of bacteria that can cause disease. Another type of lactic acid bacteria that lives in our intestines is Enterococcus faecalis. Although this bacterium may be a human pathogen, several strains produce a bacteriocin with activity against the pneumococcal bacteria that cause pneumonia. Research has been conducted using non-pathogenic strains that produce this bacteriocin to inoculate the noses of children in order to protect them from pneumococcal pneumonia.
Fermented foods are another area where bacteriocins contribute to efforts to keep pathogens out of humans. They are one of many reasons for the antimicrobial activity of lactic acid bacteria in these types of foods. Other reasons include the production of antifungal compounds and organic acids. Starter cultures that produce bacteriocin have been tested with fermented sausage and cheese and have been shown to protect against the potentially deadly pathogens listeria in both cases and clostridium in the latter.
As research continues on the industrial potential of bacteriocins, there is likely to be increased use of them in the food industry. The use of probiotics is a booming market as of 2010. Microbiological research is likely to continue to identify new bacteriocins with new specificities that can be used to protect human health.
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