Bacteriophages: a potential game changer in food processing industry

Abstract

In the food industry, despite the widespread use of interventions such as preservatives and thermal and non-thermal processing technologies to improve food safety, incidences of foodborne disease continue to happen worldwide, prompting the search for alternative strategies. Bacteriophages, commonly known as phages, have emerged as a promising alternative for controlling pathogenic bacteria in food. This review emphasizes the potential applications of phages in biological sciences, food processing, and preservation, with a particular focus on their role as biocontrol agents for improving food quality and preservation. By shedding light on recent developments and future possibilities, this review highlights the significance of phages in the food industry. Additionally, it addresses crucial aspects such as regulatory status and safety concerns surrounding the use of bacteriophages. The inclusion of up-to-date literature further underscores the relevance of phage-based strategies in reducing foodborne pathogenic bacteria’s presence in both food and the production environment. As we look ahead, new phage products are likely to be targeted against emerging foodborne pathogens. This will further advance the efficacy of approaches that are based on phages in maintaining the safety and security of food.

Keywords:

• Biocontrol
• food safety
• emerging technologies
• food preservation

Author contributions

Vandana Chaudhary-Conceptulization, Administration and Writing Original Draft, Priyanka Kajla–Writing Original Draft, Deepika Lather-Writing Original Draft, Nisha Chaudhary–Writing Original Draft, Priya Dangi–Writing Original Draft, Punit Singh–Writing Original Draft, R. Pandiselvam– Conceptulization, Resources, Writing Original Draft, Writing review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.’’

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.