iajnfsIAJNFSIAJNFS2709-9474https://doi.org/10.47310/iajnfs.2026.v07i01.01Rview: Nisin its Importance and ApplicationsShaymaaJawadMahmoodHalaA.SalihSumyiaKh.BadawiDepartment of Food Science, College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Mosul,Mosul, IraqNisin is one of the most significant and studied natural antimicrobial peptides of use and is also one of the most frequently used non-antibiotics. It is produced mostly by Lactococcus lactis bacteria and has high antibacterial activity against other Gram-positive bacteria, is safe to use and is in line with the global trend of clean label foods. The present review summarizes the present knowledge regarding the chemistry, biosynthesis, structural variants and mode of action of nisin. Nisin is high in efficacy against many food- and pathogen-spoiling bacteria since it binds to Lipid II molecules to inhibit cell wall synthesis and to form pores in the cytoplasmic membrane. The antimicrobial spectrum of nisin, factors affecting its activity and the major applications of food preservation are also discussed, especially in dairy products, meat, canned products and seafood’s, and in active food packaging systems and modern preserving methods. Other important problems also addressed are the activity against Gram-negative bacteria, some problems with stability, and current methods enhancing its activity, including micro-encapsulation and nanotechnology, protein engineering, and development of new variants of nisin. Overall, recent studies have shown that nisin is one of the most promising natural preservatives and that recent progress in the production, delivery and food applications improve its use potential and boost the contribution to safer and sustainable food production. You can embed keywords into the content to help users find the right material. Adding keywords to content can assist users in their ability to locate desired content for their given purpose within the system.