Introduction
Increasing demands by consumers for natural and chemical-free
products has led the food industry to search for novel and alternative
strategies for food biopreservation (Cosentino et al., 2012).
Among these alternatives, it is important to highlight the use of
bacteriocins, defined as ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial
peptides that exhibit antagonism mainly against Gram-positive
bacteria (Cotter et al., 2005).
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a promising group of bacteriocinproducing
microorganisms due to their GRAS (generally recognized
as safe) status, which indicates their safe and easy application
as food preservatives (Nishie et al., 2012).
Lactobacillus (Lb.) plantarum is used as a starter culture in various
food fermentations contributing to organoleptic properties,
flavor and texture (Todorov and Franco, 2010). Numerous studies