Any of a class of antimicrobial peptides produced by Gram-positive bacteria and containing the unusual amino acids lanthionine or β‎-methyllanthionine. Although the name is a shortening of their original description as ‘lanthionine-containing antibiotics’, they are not classed as antibiotics; the latter are produced via enzyme-mediated secondary metabolism whereas lantibiotics and other bacteriocins are encoded in DNA and synthesized ribosomally. Lantibiotics inhibit or kill other Gram-positive bacteria and some, such as nisin, are used in the food industry to inhibit food spoilage microorganisms; they also have potential as antimicrobials in medicine and can be bioengineered to alter their properties.