Abstract

Various factors, including physical, chemical, and biological hazards threaten food safety. Among these, the significance of microbial (bacteria and fungi) and chemical (biogenic amines, mycotoxins, and heavy metals) contamination cannot be overstated. In recent years, a novel approach has emerged for effectively managing these risks, which relies on probiotics and postbiotics. Recent research suggests that postbiotics show promise as potential alternatives to probiotic cells and can be valuable in improving food safety. The term “postbiotics” refers to soluble substances, including enzymes, teichoic acids, muropeptides from peptidoglycans, polysaccharides, proteins, and peptides. These substances are either produced by live bacteria or released when bacterial cells break down. Postbiotics have gained significant attention due to their unique chemical composition, well-established dosing guidelines, extended shelf life, and the Existence of different signaling molecules that may possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, immunomodulatory, anti-hypertensive, and immunomodulatory properties. This review emphasizes the definition of postbiotics and their role in reducing microbial and chemical contaminants to ensure food safety.

Keywords: Probiotics, Postbiotic, Microbial contamination, Chemical contamination, Biofilm activity.