Pediococcus pentosaceus LBM 18 has shown potential as producer of an antibacterial and antifungal bacteriocin-like inhibitory substance (BLIS). BLIS inhibited the growth of spoilage bacteria belonging to Lactobacillus, Enterococcus and Listeria genera with higher activity than Nisaplin used as control. It gave rise to inhibition halos with diameters from 9.70 to 20.00 mm, with Lactobacillus sakei being the most sensitive strain (13.50–20.00 mm). It also effectively suppressed the growth of fungi isolated from corn grain silage for up to 25 days and impaired morphology of colonies by likely affecting fungal membranes. These results point out that P. pentosaceus BLIS may be used as a new promising alternative to conventional antibacterial and antifungal substances, with potential applications in agriculture and food industry as a natural bio-controlling agent. Moreover, cytotoxicity and cell death induction tests demonstrated cytotoxicity and toxicity of BLIS to human colon adenocarcinoma Caco-2cells but not to peripheral blood mononuclear cells, with suggests possible applications of BLIS also in medical-pharmaceutical applications.

Operational conditions such as temperature and pH are well known to influence the production of biosurfactants, bacteriocins, and lactic acid by lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial strain Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis CECT-4434 was used to investigate the effects of temperature (30°C, 37°C and 40°C) and pH control on the production of these biomolecules, in order to establish whether they are able to preferentially address its metabolism towards one product or another. It was observed that the pH control within the range 5.0–5.3 favored the production of lactic acid, which was 38% higher than that obtained without control. The bacteriocin production was higher in the temperature range between 30°C and 37°C, evidenced by the formation of inhibition zones against Lactobacillus sakei and Staphylococcus aureus, 5–22% and 4–14% higher, respectively, compared with those achieved at 40°C. Finally, the best results for biosurfactant synthesis occurred at 37°C without pH control, with a surface tension reduction between 22.5 and 24.7 mN/m after 6–24 h of culture, respectively.