In recent years, the use of commercially available antimicrobial substances has helped significantly in the control of microbial pathogenicity and other infectious diseases. However, the unchecked, excessive, and repeated use of these substances has led to the development of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, which pose a severe threat to society. Foodborne microorganisms in particular have a major impact on public health and the economy and cause a great number of human infectious diseases worldwide. In recent years, bioactive compounds that possess antibacterial/antimicrobial characteristics have emerged as promising new options to control these MDR microorganisms and offer great promise for food safety and security as well as their risk assessment of these compounds.

These bioactive compounds describe a large group of naturally occurring, pharmacologically active chemicals such as plant-derived coumarins, flavonoids, phenolics, alkaloids, terpenoids, tannins, lectins, polypeptides, and polyacetylenes. Bioactive compounds can also be created artificially thanks to recent advances in biotechnology, and the delivery of these compounds can result in the elimination of pathogenic microorganisms whilst minimizing the possibility of resistance developing.

This Research Topic seeks to explore the latest developments in, and extensive applications of bioactive compounds as applied to food safety and security. The collection will highlight how, through bioengineering, bioactive compounds can offer a safe, sustainable alternative to traditional antibacterial/antimicrobial compounds by analyzing new methods and bioprocesses for synthesis, as well as novel applications (for example in food packaging). Research that helps to promote an understanding of how these molecules function, including their metabolic processes, is also of focus in this collection. Moreover, the Research Topic will highlight the effect of antimicrobials on pathogens - this phenomenon is important for pathogens survival and confers defensive advantages to the microbes by alleviating nutritional and mechanical stressors and suboptimal conditions. Therefore, articles that draw attention to biotechnologies conferring anti-biofilm activities to antimicrobial compounds are welcomed.

This Research Topic welcomes submissions that explore new developments in bioengineering of antimicrobial compounds for applications to food biosafety and security, and will cover themes such as, but not limited to, the following thematic areas:

• Biosynthesis and bioengineering of various bioactive materials intended for food safety applications
• Production of plant and biotechnology-derived compounds with antimicrobial properties
• Antibacterial and anti-pathogenic activity of naturally occurring and bioengineered 'artificial' compounds
• Mode of action of various biomolecules used for food products
• Mechanisms of antibacterial activity of these selected bioactive compounds
• Applications of these bioactive molecules in food production and agri-food technology
• Risk assessment of biomolecules and policy/regulatory implications of biotechnology-derived antimicrobials

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Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

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