Eureka states: “Lanthipeptides, a class of bacteriocins with especially potent antimicrobial properties, are widely used by the food industry and have become known as “lantibiotics” (a scientific portmanteau of lanthipeptide and antibiotics).”

A February 2024 study by the University of Chicago said,

  • “Nisin is, in essence, an antibiotic that has been added to our food for a long time, but how it might impact our gut microbes is not well studied,”

  • “Even though it might be very effective in preventing food contamination, it might also have a greater impact on our human gut microbes.”

  • “This study is one of the first to show that gut commensals are susceptible to lantibiotics, and are sometimes more sensitive than pathogens,”

  • “With the levels of lantibiotics currently present in food, it’s very probable that they might impact our gut health as well.”

  • “It seems that lantibiotics and lantibiotic-producing bacteria are not always good for health, so we are looking for ways to counter the potential bad influence while taking advantage of their more beneficial antimicrobial properties,”