lactic acid bacteria, must be harmless to humans. Bacteriophages Bacteriophages (Greek for 'bacteria eater'), or simply phages, are viruses which infect bacteria. The majority of all bacteriophages known exhibit a double-stranded DNA genome inside the virion capsid and belong to the order of tailed phages, Caudovirales. The tailed phages can be further separated into three families: Podoviridae, which are characterized by very short tails; Myoviridae, which exhibit longer, straight and contractile tails; and Siphoviridae, which can be identified due to their long and flexible tails. Another well studied group of phages with many applications, although minor in terms of species diversity, is represented by filamentous phages which exhibit a single stranded DNA genome decorated by a helical protein layer surrounding the DNA molecule. Bacteriophages are ubiquitously distributed in nature and can also be isolated from human or animal associated microflora. They outnumber their bacterial host species by a factor of ten representing the most abundant self-replicating entities on earth with an estimated 1031 phages in total. The idea of using phages against unwanted bacteria developed shortly after their discovery. With the improvements in organic chemistry during the 1950s, exploration and development of broad spectrum antibiotics displaced interest in bacteriophage research. Several laboratories have been testing suitability of bacteriophage isolates to control certain bacterial pathogens. Significant advancements in this research have been made at the Bacteriophage Institute in Tbilisi, Georgia, where phage therapy is routinely applied in medicine research field. Today treatment of antibiotic resistant bacteria is a challenging task. Recently, research on bacteriophages has gained additional momentum in light of the identification of antibiotic-resistant pathogens of infectious diseases, wherein the application of antibiotics is not effectively working, therefore research on the application of bacteriophages is being reviewed intensely. Bacteriophages have recently received a generally recognized as safe status based on their lack of toxicity and other detrimental effects to human health for application in meat products in USA. Phage preparations specific for L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, and S. enterica serotypes have been commercialized and approved for application in foods or as part of surface decontamination protocols. Meat biopreservation In meat processing, biopreservation has been extensively studied in fermented meat products and ready to eat meat products. The use of native or artificially-introduced microbial population to improve animal health and productivity, and/or to reduce pathogenic organisms, has been termed a probiotic or competitive enhancement approach. Competitive enhancement strategies that have