Received: 01-06-2022 / Accepted: 27-09-2022
Bacteriocins produced bybacteria are ribosomally synthesized peptides or proteins with antimicrobial activity that either kill or inhibit the growth of closely-related or non-related bacterial strains. Bacteriocins appear to be a weapon against microorganisms due to their specific properties of natural origin, high structural and functional diversity and heat stability. Recent studies have identified bacteriocins for application in food technology as natural bio-preservatives or in agriculture as biological control agents. Bacteriocins also present a potential approach for the treatment of pathogenic microbial infections and cancer diseases in humans and a promising alternative for replacing conventional antibiotics to treat multidrug-resistant bacteria. However, the majority of application-oriented studies were mainly conducted in laboratory conditions and focused on bacteriocins from Gram-positive bacteria. In this review, we summarized the classification and antibacterial activities of bacteriocins as well as discussed current achievements and potential applications of bacteriocins in the food preservationand inagricultural and pharmaceutical fields. Our paper provides an overview of bacteriocins, thus, orients the application of bacteriocins in Vietnam.