Biopreservation encompasses a number of food-preservation strategies, ranging from ancient methods such as fermentation to modern technologies including bacteriocins and bacteriophages.

In U.S. food industries today, biopreservation can be defined as the use of non-pathogenic microorganisms that antagonize or inhibit the growth of undesirable pathogenic and/or spoilage microbes through their metabolic activity or capacity to compete for nutrients or attachment niches, or the use of chemical compounds that have been fermented and then purified.

Our discussion here will be limited to biopreservation incorporating the use of microorganisms that inhibit, inactivate or antagonize other microorganisms.

Biopreservation methods can be used to enhance food safety by complementing other food-preservation processes, and due to their gentle nature can be used in situations where harsher treatments are undesirable, such as in fresh or minimally processed foods.

Link: Fighting microbes with microbes | 2014-03-05 | National Provisioner.