The government has embarked on more researches on lactobacilli or bacteriocins for commercial applications.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) reported that studies on bacteriocins, or more popularly known as lactobacilli, by the Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD) are ongoing at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and Leyte State University under their respective research and development (R&D) support program.

Scientists involved in the studies look into the structure of bacteriocins at the molecular level to determine the substance’s other possible commercial applications.

They are also in the process of screening several locally available root crops for bacteriocin-producing microorganisms, which they synthesize along with specific enemy organisms.

A planning council of DOST, PCASTRD’s mandate is to develop the advanced S&T sector that includes biotechnology. PCASTRD also supports R&D projects in biotechnology, including molecular markers, gene mapping and sequencing, and production of enzymes.

The agency encourages and supports biotech R&D projects that will help strengthen the country’s capability in producing more precise, time-saving and cost-effective new strains of improved crops.

Recently there is renewed interest in bacteriocins sparked by continuing food spoilage everywhere.

Chemical preservatives are slowly being eased out of the market because they are found hazardous to human health.

As a result, food researchers now focus on bio-preservation system where good bacteria are allowed to produce bacteriocins in food where they naturally grow or cultured. Bacteriocins are then purified and used as pure, natural food preservatives.

To many, bacteriocins may sound like rare acrid-tasting medicine. But to health scientists, bacteriocins are substances produced by lactic acid bacteria that torment bad bacteria, ferment food and defend human health.

The intestinal tracts of humans and animals are the natural home for bacteriocins.

When one is down with diarrhea, ulcer and abdominal cramps, chances are he or she ingested food that may have been infected with bad bacteria, such as E. coli, Salmonella, or H. pylori.

These bad bacteria, called pathogens, weaken man’s defenses and cause infections and disease.

They generally freeload on various foods through infected eggs, meat and food handlers’ unwashed hands. When contaminated food enters the intestinal tract, bad bacteria are immediately swamped by bacteriocins, which are the body’s first line of defense.

Bacteriocins commonly attack opponents by pricking holes in the cell membrane so that small molecules leak out. When the bad bacteria’s cell can no longer maintain its energy metabolism, it dies.

Compared to man-made antibiotics. Bacteriocins tend to be specialized.

They have a narrow spectrum of activity and only inhibit one or two other organisms and leave other lactobacilli and human cells unharmed.

Bacteriocins were first discovered by the dairy processing industry, which noticed that some bacteria used in food fermentation such as in making sour cream are better than others in preventing food spoilage. But that is something that happens for the last 4000 years.

Ancient food makers used bacteriocins to produce and preserve cultured foods with improved preservation properties and with characteristic flavors and textures different from the original food.

A good combination of bacteriocins and other variables such as temperature and composition of food being fermented contribute to the features of different products.

These include the slightly tart taste of fermented milk, unique aroma of yoghurt, cheese, buttermilk and others. As such, bacteriocins are also used in the pickling of vegetables, baking, wine making, and curing fish, meats and sausages.