Keywords

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Microbal foodborne diseases are a constant concern to human health, as shown by annual statistics published by official institutions (http://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/; http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3129.htm). The globalization of the food market and the large-scale distribution and processing of raw materials and food products create new ecological niches to which microorganisms from different regions of the world may adapt, raising new problems that the food industry must solve. This trend increases as the food chain tends to be more complex in several ways, including transportation distance, processing steps, distribution of raw materials, and shelf life extension of the finished products. The increase of the more susceptible populations (e.g., the young, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals), the migration of populations from rural to urban areas, the overexploitation of natural resources (such as soil and water) and the climatic changes, are also factors to be taken into consideration. The food industry also has to satisfy the newer consumer habits. In the past years, there has been a growing demand of consumers for foods that are fresh-tasting, lightly preserved, ready-to-eat, and (possibly) with health-promoting effects. Consumer organizations are also more and more concerned about the quality of foods and the ways in which they are produced.

Although some traditional methods for food production and processing are being abandoned, there is also a growing interest in traditional foods, and in the adaptation of local production processes to an industrial scale without substantial loss of the original value. Several developing countries already benefit from modern food industry; however, in many others, there is an overwhelming need to enhance the availability of raw materials and to promote food processing on an industrial scale in order to meet the nutritional requirements of the population and to provide a minimal framework of food safety. The need to avoid economic losses due to microbial spoilage of raw materials and food products, to decrease the incidence of foodborne illnesses, and to meet the food requirements of the growing world population strengthen the relevance of preservation methods in the food industry. In this context, the preservation of foods by natural, biological methods may be a satisfactory approach to solve many of the current food-related issues. All these factors have stimulated scientific research to exploit natural weapons, either alone or in combination with novel food processing technologies, in the development of biopreservation strategies compatible with the latest changes in human habits and lifestyle.