BACTERIOCINS Bacteriocins can be considered as proteinaceous antibiotics displaying a high degree of target specificity, although many have a very wide spectrum of activity. These are the most abundant bioactive antimicrobial peptides produced by certain bacteria and are found in all major phylogenetic bacterial lineages. These bacteriocins are very useful in the food industry. They inhibit the growth of most of other microorganisms including common human pathogens, thus increasing the shelf life of food as well as act as natural preservatives. Bacteriocins from gram positive organisms, such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB), have attracted much attention and have been the subject of intensive investigation due to their extensive incorporation as bio-preservatives ingredients into model foods particularly in the dairy industry and also in human therapeutics