Current developments of bacteriocins, screening methods and their application in aquaculture and aquatic products

The bacteriocins of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is a kind of antibacterial peptide or protein synthesized by LAB in vivo. They have been the focus of much research because LAB and their metabolic products are generally regarded as safe and have potential application in the aquaculture and aquatic products. At present, the discovery of new bacteriocins involves complicated screening, identification, purification, and characterization processes which impact the application of these bacteriocins. This review summarizes the systematic classification of bacteriocins, especially the bacteriocins inhibiting Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterium, and the species, genus, family and order of LAB. At the same time, the methods of screening of antimicrobial peptide production are expounded and bacteriocin applications of LAB in aquaculture and storage of aquatic products are described. All of these will provide the faster, easier, and more efficient new antimicrobial explorations and basic knowledge for the development and applications of bacteriocins from LAB.