Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) constitute a major part of food stuffs and are involved in the fermentation of vegetables to improve their nutritive value, palatability, acceptability, and also the microbial quality and shelf-life of the fermented produce. LAB were isolated from different food samples using standard microbiological methods. Screening for bacteriocin potential was carried out using crowded plate technique. The LAB associated with food products with potential for bacteriocin production were identified and characterized using PCR-based methods (6S rRNA). A total of one hundred and one (101) bacteria isolates were isolated from the food samples of which only 8 (7.92 %) were positive for bacteriocin production. The best five isolates from the 14 with inhibition zone of 20 mm and above were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum strain PMM09-2528L, Lactobacillus acidophilus strain NK-S10, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strain IFM 63517, Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain M6 and Pediococcus cellicola strain PMM-25. These bacteriocinogenic LAB have the capacity to be used in the formulation of starter cultures and for commercial use in the biopreservation of vegetables and other food products. Key words:

Keywords: Molecular characterization; Bacteriocinogenic, Lactic acid bacteria; 16S rRNA; Fermented products