Nisin, a Lantibiotic produced by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis : properties, biosynthesis, fermentation and applications

Nisin, which has been known for about five decades, is a lanthionine-containing bacteriocin produced by certain Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strains. A number of reviews have been published dealing with various aspects of nisin (Berridge, 1953; Hawley, 1957; Schaller, 1960; Hawley, 1962; Marth, 1966; Jarvis & Morisetti, 1969; Polanowski, 1972; Baranova & Egorov, 1973; Lipinska, 1977; Hurst, 1978, 1981, 1983; Rayman & Hurst, 1984; Bucci et al., 1990; Fowler & Gasson, 1991). This chapter attempts to cover all aspects of nisin, with the main emphasis on its properties, biosynthesis and fermentative production, and on its applications. However, the large number of publications on nisin precludes complete coverage of the literature; omissions or partial coverage of literature data should therefore not be considered as a slight to the authors. The genetics of nisin will be discussed in Chapter 6