Patent ID: 8828459

Claim:
A method for suppressing the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in a fermented food product, comprising: (i) providing a food material; (ii) mixing the food material with a starter culture that (A) comprises one or more lactic acid bacteria and (B) provides a desired change in at least one characteristic of the food material during fermentation, wherein the characteristic comprises, acidification profile, reduction in water binding, reduction in water activity, general appearance, color, or flavor; (iii) mixing the food material with at least one adjunct culture comprising a Pediococcus acidilactici that produces a Class II bacteriocin; (iv) subjecting the food material containing the starter culture and adjunct culture to a fermentation process at a temperature of not more than 30° C., wherein the fermentation process (A) results in acidification of the food material, of which the acidification caused by the adjunct culture is 0.5 pH-unit or less; and (B) allows for a production of the Class II bacteriocin and reduces counts of Listeria monocytogenes by at least 2 log cfu/g of fermented food product by the end of ripening.