Bacteriocins are antimicrobial peptide compounds derived from gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Bacteriocins can be cationic, anionic, and neutral. These compounds are synthesized in bacterial ribosomes and have a broad spectrum of activity against pathogenic bacteria. Some bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria used in the food industry are nisin, diplococcin, acidochilin, bulgarican, helventicin, lactacin, and plantaricin. Bacteriocins produced by Pediococcus spp., which are known as pediocins, can be used as alternative preservatives in the food industry. Another type of bacteriocin is plantaricin, which is produced by a group of gram-positive bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum, and can inhibit growth and kill a group of gram-negative bacteria that are pathogenic. Bacteriocins derived from lactic acid bacteria and used as biopreservatives have several advantages, namely a) they are not toxic and biodegrade easily because they are protein compounds; b) they do not harm the intestinal microflora because they are easily digested by enzymes in the digestive tract; c) they can reduce the use of chemical food preservatives; and d) they are highly versatile and can be utilized in various forms such as the form of bacteriocin-producing bacterial culture strains or purified or semi-purified bacteriocin compounds.
