Nisin biotechnological production and application: a review

Nisin is a natural antimicrobial peptide produced by strains of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis that effectively inhibits Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and also the outgrowth of spores of Bacilli and Clostridia. Additionally it has been used as a biopreservative and a potential agent in pharmaceutical, veterinary and health care products. This review focuses on the nisin production in batch cultures utilizing milk skimmed and milk whey as an inexpensive medium for cultivation of L. lactis, aiming to reduce the process cost. At the same time, the exploitation of milk whey as a bacterial substrate can be considered economically advantageous method to help diminish environment pollution problems.