Lactic acid bacteria antimicrobial compound production

Modern methods of livestock production are intensive and the environmental conditions stress the animals. The use of antibiotics promotes growth and protects the animals from otherwise certain infection under these conditions. Antibiotic-like compounds formed in lactic acid fermentations prevent proliferation of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms and increase the shelf life of the products. Nisin is a antimicrobial produced by a lactic acid bacterium and is used in some countries as a food preservative. Some lactic acid bacteria are capable of favorably influencing the fecal flora in man and animals. 

Diacetyl. In many dairy products, citrate-utilizing lactic acid bacteria play an important role as they are responsible for the formation of the flavouring compound diacetyl. Much of the literature describing the antimicrobial activity of diacetyl has been reported by Jay (1982). It is active against a broad spectrum of microorganisms including Bacillus,... 

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