This systematic review and meta-analysis compile the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of lactic
acid bacteria (LAB) supernatants against three common pathogenic bacteria found in dairy products:
Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. After screening and analysis of full
papers, identified by searches in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, thirty-nine studies
were regarded as relevant, and a total of 510 observations were recorded. The effects of moderators
on inhibition diameters were assessed by adjusting three pathogen-specific meta-regression models.
Results showed that, in general terms, strains from the Enterococcus genus displayed the highest
inhibition values against L. monocytogenes (15.90 ± 2.138 mm), whereas Lacticaseibacillus strains were
more effective against S. aureus (11.89 ± 0.573 mm). The well diffusion test outperformed the spot and
disk diffusion tests, and more acidic LAB supernatants resulted in higher measurements of inhibition
diameters (p < 0.001). Meta-regression models incorporating LAB genus, pathogen concentration,
and incubation time explained 33.8%, 52.3%, and 19.8% of the total variance in inhibition diameters
for L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and S. aureus, respectively. None of the three models showed
evidence of publication bias. This meta-regression study demonstrated that LAB strains present in
dairy products possess a variable capacity to inhibit any of the three foodborne pathogens. Overall, L.
monocytogenes was found to exhibit greater susceptibility than Salmonella spp. and S. aureus; thus, the
antilisterial capacity of the selected LAB strains could be exploited in developing biocontrol strategies
for cheese-making.
