An antimicrobial peptide produced by Bacillus subtilis 168 was isolated and characterized and named sublancin 168. The invention includes DNA encoding for the sublancin 168 peptides and peptides which are at least 80% identical to the sublancin 168 peptide. The peptides may be administered as anti-bacterials, or may be used in food preservation. The peptides may also be co-administered with other lantibiotics (such as nisin and subtilin), or with known antibiotics.