This systematic review and meta-analysis compile the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) supernatant against three common dairy product pathogenic bacteria. 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 were extracted thereof. The effects of moderators, namely, pathogen’s concentration, susceptibility test method, agar type, incubation time and temperature, LAB supernatant pH and aliquot volume, on inhibition diameters were assessed by adjusting three pathogen-specific meta-regression models. Results showed that, in general terms, strains from the Enterococcus genus (15.90 ± 2.138 mm) displayed the highest inhibition values against L. monocytogenes, whereas Lacticaseibacillus strains were more effective against Staphylococcus aureus (11.89 ± 0.573 mm). Whereas the well diffusion test outperformed spot and disk diffusion tests; the pH of LAB supernatant resulted in high measurements of inhibition diameters (p

Alheira is a naturally fermented meat sausage traditionally made in the Portuguese region of Trás-os-Montes. Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) have been found to be the dominant microorganisms in alheira. This study aimed: 1) to characterize technological features and in vitro antimicrobial activity of LAB isolates; and 2) to reveal associations between such phenotypic characteristics and the isolates genotypically identified to species level through amplification and sequencing of the 16S ribosomal gene. Sixty-two LAB isolates were identified and Enterococcus faecium was the most prevalent (32.3%), followed by Leuconostoc mesenteroides (19.4%) and Latilactobacillus sakei (17.7%), aligning with previous research on traditional Portuguese fermented meat sausages. The phenotypic analysis of LAB isolates indicated diverse acidification capacities, proteolytic activities, and inhibitory effects against foodborne pathogens. Comprising the technological attributes, L. paracasei and L. mesenteroides had higher proteolytic activity (3.46 and 3.43 mm), whereas E. faecium and L. paracasei stood out for their acidifying capacity, with mean pH after 6 h of 5.78 and 6.03, respectively. Overall, lactobacilli presented higher inhibition diameter against the pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium. Although the mechanisms for inhibition of pathogen growth needs to be further elucidated, these findings enhance our understanding of LAB diversity and functionality in alheira sausages, contributing to product safety and quality assessment.