## 1 Introduction  
Consumer trends evolve along with technology and science. In this context, more and more consumers are becoming aware of the importance of a healthy and sustainable diet, which transpires to their dietary choices. The rise of \"clean label\" products epitomizes this trend, emphasizing attributes like additive-free formulae, short ingredient lists, transparent information, and health benefits [1; 2; 3]. However, all food has to be safe for consumption, necessitating measures to mitigate the presence of undesirable pathogenic micro-organisms such as _Escherichia coli_, _Listeria monocytogenes_, and _Salmonella_ spp. [4]. Additionally, food waste is an additional challenge, particularly due to spoilage microorganisms like _Penicillium_ spp. and _Apergillus_ spp. [5]. Considering this, preservation is a fundamental step in food production processes worldwide, required to guarantee food safety and extend shelf life. On the one hand, conventional preservation technologies employed by the food industry encompass various methods, including heat treatments (such as pasteurization and sterilization), cooling techniques (like refrigeration and freezing), the reduction in water activity (such as spray-drying or freeze-drying), fermentation, and the use of chemical preservatives [6]. Nonetheless, most of these traditional approachescommonly modify both the nutritional and organoleptic properties of food products, so they are not fully aligned with current consumer preferences and trends [7]. A variety of novel preservation strategies have arisen in response to the clean-label production trend, such as the use of bioprotective bacterial cultures and their metabolites [8; 9; 10]. This entails the use of micro-organisms and their products (such as their cell-free supernatants, CFSs) to increase the shelf life of food through competitive exclusion or the production of antimicrobial substances [9; 10]. Only microbial species included in the Qualified Presumption of Safety list (QPS) [11] can be used to produce bioprotective cultures, and bacteria should not harbor any acquired transferrable antimicrobial resistance genes to clinically relevant antimicrobials to avoid horizontal transfer to other bacteria [12]. Additionally, and in line with EFSA's guidance on the characterization of production microorganisms used in feed [13], there should be evidence of the non-toxicity of the cultures and of the stability of the intended technological effect, along with the definition of the quantity to be used at safe levels [10; 14; 15]. Among possible protective micro-organisms, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) stand out as a compelling choice: they boast a well-established tradition in food applications, are perceived as safe for human consumption, and exhibit a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity [10]. The antimicrobial capacity of LAB is attributed to the synthesis of various antimicrobial compounds, such as organic acids, hydrogen peroxide, and bacterioxins [16]. Organic acids result from the fermentation of carbohydrates within the surrounding medium or matrix. This generates an adverse environment, preventing microbial proliferation and growth [17]. In aerobic conditions devoid of intracellular catalase, pseudocatalase, and peroxidase, LAB can produce hydrogen peroxide (H\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{2}\)). This compound leads to the degradation of cellular components, including membrane proteins (SH group oxidation) [16], and the infliction of DNA damage upon the targeted micro-organism [18]. Lastly, bacterioxins, which are ribosomal peptides, exhibit antimicrobial activity whose spectrum varies depending on the specific type of bacteriocin. Additionally, they have demonstrated notable thermoresistance and resilience to pH modifications [19]. In addition to LAB, interest in the genus _Bacillus_ has grown due to its multiple biological activities, including antifungal and antimicrobial activity [20]. They are considered QPS strains [11] able to produce different compounds, including bacterioxins.