مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري

Abstract :

Nisin is a bacteriocin which has been used as a reliable and natural preservative and produced by Lactococcus lactis. Nisin can be used in different kinds of food as an additive from cheese to fish and some beverages. Nisin mainly inhibits the growth of gram positive bacteria, but it is not effective on the growth of gram negative bacteria, yeasts and moulds. When nisin is taken into human body, it is inactiveted by digestion enzymes, so nisin doesn’t have any toxic effects. Furthermore, nisin is the one and only bacteriocin approved by FDA. Nisin decreases the count of total bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, coliforms and pathogens. Nisin has inhibitory effect on some pathogens that can be found in seafood such as; L. monocytogenes. In addition, according to many studies on nisin, it provides microbiological safety and prolongs the shelf life of seafood. There is no any negative effect of nisin on fish odor. Moreover, it preserves the natural odor of fish. Nisin doesn’t have a negative effect on pH value or color of fish. Increasing of TVBN, TMA, psychrophilic and mesophilic bacteria in seafood can be controlled by nisin during cold storage. Moreover, nisin can be combined successfully with other food preserving techniques such as; vacuum packing, irradiation, other food additives. Therefore, nisin has been regarded as a safe and natural preservative, increasing the shelf life of seafood.