Application of spray-dried bacteriocins as cheese biopreservatives.

Listeria monocytogenes can contaminate refrigerated ready-to-eat foods, such as cheeses. Enterocins, with a strong listericidal effect, constitute a natural alternative to control this pathogen in food. To optimize their antimicrobial action in food matrices, bacteriocins can be immobilised in edible coatings through spray drying technology which allows the large-scale production of microcapsules of bioactive molecules.