Nisin is a small peptide produced byLactococcus lactisssplactisthat is currently industrially produced. This preservative is often used for growth prevention of pathogenic bacteria contaminating the food products. However, the use of nisin as a food preservative is limited by its low production during fermentation. This low production is mainly attributed to the multitude of parameters influencing the fermentation progress such as bacterial cells activity, growth medium composition (namely carbon and nitrogen sources), pH, ionic strength, temperature, and aeration. This review article focuses on the main parameters that affect nisin production byLactococcus lactisbacteria. Moreover, nisin applications as a food preservative and the main strategies generally used are also discussed.