Hurdle technology using encapsulated enzymes and essential oils to fight bacterial biofilms.

Biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces has become a major public health concern because of the serious problems they can cause in various fields. Biofilm cells are extremely resistant to stressful conditions, because of their complex structure impedes antimicrobial penetration to deep-seated cells. The increased resistance of biofilm to currently applied control strategies underscores the urgent need for new alternative and/or supplemental eradication approaches. The combination of two or more methods, known as Hurdle technology, offers an excellent option for the highly effective control of biofilms. In this perspective, the use of functional enzymes combined with biosourced antimicrobial such as essential oil (EO) is a promising alternative anti-biofilm approach. However, these natural antibiofilm agents can be damaged by severe environmental conditions and lose their activity. The microencapsulation of enzymes and EOs is a promising new technology for enhancing their stability and improving their biological activity. This review article highlights the problems related to biofilm in various fields, and the use of encapsulated enzymes with essential oils as antibiofilm agents. KEY POINTS: • Problems associated with biofilms in the food and medical sectors and their subsequent risks on health and food quality. • Hurdle technology using enzymes and essential oils is a promising strategy for an efficient biofilms control. • The microencapsulation of enzymes and essential oils ensures their stability and improves their biological activities.

LABiocin database: A new database designed specifically for Lactic Acid Bacteria bacteriocins.

Bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are successfully applied as natural alternatives to food preservation and to antibiotics; however, information on these antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is scattered through the literature and databases. Therefore, we developed the LABiocin database, a specialized database on LAB bacteriocins. The database was stored and compiled using MySQL with NetBeans IDE as the platform. Important data are compiled, including bacteriocin name, class, amino acids and nucleic acid sequences, if available. Target microorganisms, origin, status of the producing strains and their culture conditions and extraction and purification methods are also included in this new database. A phylogenetic tree for the mature peptide bacteriocin sequences has also been created. LABiocin is an interactive database with a user-friendly interface that integrates several tools and services and comprises up to 517 LAB bacteriocins. Besides data searching tools, a BLAST tool was integrated into the database to enable the user to perform a homology search against mature peptide sequences. Users can be linked to other databases that contain additional information, particularly about predicted bacteriocin structure and mechanisms of action. The LABiocin database enables comprehensive functional analysis of this special group of AMPs. This would be useful in food preservation and food safety applications and would also have substantial implications for development of new drugs for medical use. LABiocin database is available at labiocin.net.