Dear Colleagues,

Biological protection, or bioprotection and biopreservation, are modern aspects of food microbiology and food preservation, since there is now a quest for low-processed food, green processing technologies, and natural methods of food preservation which could improve food safety and increase shelf life without the use of synthetic preservatives or intense thermal methods which can be energy-consuming and detrimental to the nutritional value of food.

Taking these into account, the use of either active microorganisms which produce antimicrobials or can act or compete against food pathogens and spoilage organisms has become an attractive research topic. Bacteriocins like nisin, or bacteriocin-producing cultures, have already been introduced in commercial food preservation, while other antimicrobials of microbial origin (such as organic acids) can also be utilized, either in purified form or via the use of bioprotective or probiotic cultures (e.g., in fermented foods). Additionally, the use of predatory microorganisms like Bdellovibrios, competing protective microorganisms (e.g., lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and fungi) which can prevent pathogen growth or mycotoxin production in plants and foods, or the application of bacteriophages (phage therapy) have all gained great attention recently.

This Special Issue will attempt to shed light on the above aspects and enhance the current research in the promising field of bioprotection and biopreservation.

Dr. Ioannis Giavasis
Dr. Efstathios Giaouris
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• Food bioprotection and biopreservation
• Role of probiotics in food preservation and safety
• Bacteriocin production/applications and bioprotective cultures in fermented and nonfermented food
• Bdellovibrios and other predatory microorganisms in food preservation and safety
• Bacteriophages and phage therapy against food pathogens
• Mycotoxin prevention by protective microorganisms
• Bioprotection against biofilm formation