A review on phage as biocontrol agent in food industry

Abstract

Foodborne illnesses due to bacterial pathogens pose a significant threat to public health,
resulting in tens of thousands of deaths worldwide annually. In the United States, cost of
healthcare related to foodborne disease are estimated to be $75 billion per year with
combining multiple financial losses from food scraps, culled farm animals, and food
recalls. Conventional biological control of pathogenic bacteria had also depended on
broad-spectrum approaches such as antimicrobials or pasteurization, which differ in
efficacy, have an impact on food natural microflora, and can negatively impact quality of
food. Hence researchers looking for alternative approach while using phage. The most
ubiquitous and diverse biological species in the biosphere are bacteriophages (phages).
In the last ten years, multi-drug resistant bacterial strains have become more prevalent,
which has sparked interest in phages. The potential of bacteriophages and their
derivative in the fields of healthcare and biotechnology is a topic of current investigation.
Currently, phage treatments that target dangerous food-borne bacteria are used to treat
and decontaminate crops and livestock as well as a biocontrol tool after harvest. So we
take a look to see how deep researchers go in the topic and their findings in their
literature.