Bacteriophages for Biological Control of Foodborne Pathogens

Novel trends in consumer demands and the global threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have generated the need for natural preservation techniques to reduce the use of preservatives in food production and to provide alternatives to aid safe food production. Bacteriophages, the natural killers of bacteria, provide alternative biological solutions for control of foodborne pathogens covering the entire food chain. Bacteriophages are obligate parasites that are specific to bacteria, thus being harmless to humans, animals, and plants. Phages are highly specific and leave the remaining microbiota untouched, another property that favors phages over conventional methods that may affect the beneficial microbiota of the food. Furthermore, phages have low inherent toxicity and are already present in foods as well as the human and animal gut. Finally, phages can be used along the entire food chain, including phage therapy for reduction of pathogen colonization of animals in primary production and phage biocontrol during food production. In this chapter, we explain the principles and mechanisms behind the use of phages for biological control of foodborne pathogens, as well as the rationale and outcome of using phages for therapy and biocontrol, including the challenges and limitations of such applications. In terms of future prospects, we discuss the technical and regulatory challenges of widespread industrial use of phages for biological control of foodborne pathogens.