The role of bacteriocins in food safety and quality

消费者对新鲜、加工程度最低的方便食品的需求导致冷藏即食食品的供应大幅增加。目前，冷藏是唯一可靠的障碍，可污染这些产品的食源性病原体的增长。乳酸菌产生抗菌肽，称为细菌素，其抑制某些致病菌的生长。这些细菌普遍存在于真空包装食物上，但我们并没有可靠的分析方法来检测食物中的细菌素。 我们开发了一种灵敏的方法，使用基质辅助激光解吸/电离飞行时间质谱仪检测细菌素，这种方法被用来确定乳酸链球菌素的命运，被批准用于食品中的细菌素。 然而，我们未能检测和量化食物中其他细菌素的产生。 需要进一步的研究来提高检测食品中产生的细菌素的分析技术的灵敏度和特异性。

Consumer demand for fresh, minimally processed, convenient food products has resulted in a tremendous increase in the availability of refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods. Currently, refrigeration is the only reliable hurdle to the growth of foodborne pathogens that can contaminate these products. Lactic acid bacteria produce antibacterial peptides, known as bacteriocins, which inhibit the growth of some pathogenic bacteria. The organisms are commonly found on vacuum packaged foods but we do not have reliable analytical methods for the detection of bacteriocins in foods. We developed a sensitive method for detection of bacteriocins using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer and this method was used to determine the fate of nisin, a bacteriocin that is approved for use in foods. However, we have not been able to detect and quantify the production of other bacteriocins in foods. Further research is required to improve the sensitivity and specificity of analytical techniques for detection of bacteriocins produced in foods.