Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41596840›Full record

ReviewFoods (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Lactic Acid Bacteria as the Green and Safe Food Preservatives: Their Mechanisms, Applications and Prospects.

Yuwei Zhang, Lianrui Li, Xiaoyang Pang, Shuwen Zhang, Yang Liu, Yunna Wang, Ning Xie, Xu Li

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Biological Control ofFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Bacteriocins fromFrontiers in microbiology · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Yuwei ZhangKey Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
Lianrui LiCollege of Life Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China.ORCID 0000-0001-6449-532X
Xiaoyang PangKey Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.ORCID 0000-0003-1813-2039
Shuwen ZhangKey Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.ORCID 0000-0002-0064-2236
Yang LiuKey Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
Yunna WangKey Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
Ning XieKey Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
Xu LiKey Laboratory of Agro-Products Quality and Safety Control in Storage and Transport Process, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.

Funding

Beijing Natural Science Foundation 6222053Institute of Food Science and Technology CAAS-ASTIP-G2025-IFSTNational Dairy Industry Technology CARS-36National Natural Science Foundation of China 32372457National Natural Science Foundation of China 32572547Shijiazhuang Agricultural Technology No. 24031
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Microbial contamination of food is a crucial cause of food spoilage and foodborne diseases, posing a severe threat to global public health. Although chemical preservatives are effective, their potential hazards to human health and the environment, coupled with the growing demand for "clean label" products, have driven the search for natural alternatives. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), recognized as the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) microorganisms, have emerged as the promising bio-preservatives due to their safety, effectiveness, and multifunctionality. This review systematically summarized the core antimicrobial properties of LAB, including their inhibitory spectrum against foodborne pathogens, spoilage microorganisms, viruses, parasites, and their ability to degrade toxic substances such as mycotoxins, pesticides, and heavy metals. Key inhibitory mechanisms of LAB are highlighted, encompassing the production of antimicrobial metabolites, leading to metabolism disruption and cell membrane damage, nutrition and niche competition, quorum-sensing interference, and anti-biofilm formation. Furthermore, recent advances in LAB applications in preserving various food matrices (meat, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, cereals) are integrated, including their roles in enhancing food sensory quality, extending shelf life, and retaining nutritional value. The review also discusses critical factors influencing LAB's inhibitory activity (medium composition, culture conditions, ionic components, pathway regulator, etc.) and the challenges associated with the application of LAB. Finally, future research directions are outlined, including the novel LAB and metabolites exploration, AI-driven cultural condition optimization, genetic engineering application, nano-encapsulation and active packaging development, and building up the LAB-based cellular factories. In conclusion, LAB and their antimicrobial metabolites hold great promise as green and safe food preservatives. This review is to provide comprehensive theoretical support for the rational improvement and efficient application of LAB-based natural food preservatives, contributing to the development of a safer and more sustainable food processing and preservation systems.

Indexed as

antimicrobial mechanismfood controlfood preservativeslactic acid bacteria (LAB)prospects

Identifiers

PMID41596840
PMCPMC12839946

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.