Abstract : <p>Food safety is receiving heightened attention worldwide as the important links between food and health are increasingly recognized. Improving food safety is an essential element of improving food security, which exists when populations have access to sufficient and healthy food. Food additives play a key role in maintaining the food qualities and characteristics that consumers demand, keeping food safe, wholesome and appealing from farm to fork. Although synthetic food additives are approved in many countries, the chemical additives are becoming less and less welcome by consumers; there has been an increasing interest in the use of natural additives, which necessitates the exploration of alternative sources of safe, effective and acceptable natural additives. Over the last 50 years, developments in food science and technology have led to the discovery of many new substances that can fulfil numerous functions in foods. These food additives are now readily available and include; emulsifiers in margarine, sweeteners in low-calorie products and a wider range of preservatives and antioxidants which slow product spoilage and rancidity whilst maintaining taste. The production of additive materials by plants, animals and microorganisms has recently attracted a great deal of research interest and a considerable number of patent applications, with the addition probiotic foods which reported to provide several health benefits. The industry is now able to produce some natural pigments for applications in food and therefore nowadays, natural dyes and colors have growing importance. Red pigments produced by fungus Monascus purpureus were traditionally used in oriental countries, because of its potential application as food additives. This review focus on bacteriocins, their recent classification, their mode of action and biotechnological applications in food. Though nisin is the only purified bacteriocin used commercially in food systems</p>