Introduction: Lactic acid bacteria are widely used in the food industry in order to preserve food and improve food sensory properties; its metabolites can inhibit the growth of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Objective: To characterize the studies about microbial growth inhibiting metabolites and to describe the inhibitory effect of lactic acid bacteria bacteriocins in pathogenic microorganisms in food. Method: A systematic literature review with original articles published in Science Direct, PubMed and SCOPUS. The terms bacteriocins, lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, citric acid, food, bacteriocin, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli were used in the search. Results: One hundred-twenty-five studies about inhibitors metabolites were found, from which only 31 were carried out on food. Regarding bacteriocins and the type of microorganism inhibited, 114 studies were obtained, from which 50 worked with bactericins produced by acid lactic bacteria. The most common metabolites were bacteriocins. The most studied microorganism is Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus aureus. The most frequently studied products are dairy and meat. Conclusion: The bacteriocins are the most studied metabolites to inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms in food matrices; these might be relevant to reduce the foodborne illness.