Class IIa bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria: Antibacterial activity and food preservation

In the last decade, a variety of ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial pept ides, or bacteriocins, produced by lactic acid bacteria have been identifie d and characterized. As a result of these studies, insight has been gained into various fundamental aspects of biology and biochemistry such as bacter iocin processing and secretion, mechanisms of cell immunity, and structure- function relationships. In parallel, there has been a growing awareness tha t bacteriocins may be developed into useful antimicrobial food additives. C lass IIa bacteriocins can be considered as the major subgroup of bacterioci ns from lactic acid bacteria, not only because of their large number, but a lso because of their significant biological activities and potential applic ations. The present review provides an overview of the knowledge available for class IIa bacteriocins and discusses common features and recent finding s concerning these substances. The activity and potential food applications of class IIa bacteriocins are a major focus of this review.