Natural food preservatives

What will you prefer as preservative in your food products ?

Worldwide; consumers are  preferring natural and healthier products !

Nature knows the way !

Consumer demand is currently driven towards foods that are “natural” and free of additives, but still safe and convenient to use [1]

  # The high level of Sugar can act as preservative. Chocolate, boiled sweets, jams etc.

     Artificial sweetener which is cheaper & healthier but having no preservation effect is now replacing sugar rich foods ! A poor compromise !

  #Naturally occurring substances such as vinegar, alcohol, diatomaceous earth and castor oil have been used as preservative since long time.

 #Isothiocyanate and several other compounds occurring in herbs and spices have  been identified to reduce the microbial count in the food
(including E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas fragi and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa) [2].

  #Microgard™ is a fermented and pasteurized skim milk-based product used as a shelf life extender. It contains various antimicrobial agents, such as acetic acid, propionic acid, and a proteinaceous inhibitor. [3] Used in cottage cheese industry the storage length was successfully increased by Microgard [4] . Microgard™ 100 inhibited most Gram-negative bacteria [5].

 #Nisin , a lantibiotic-type bacteriocin produced by various strains of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, is licensed for used as a food biopreservative in many countries.
Nisin can inhibit the outgrowth of Clostridium botulinum spores .But Gram-negatives are generally resistant [6].

  #Hops   flowers are most well-known for their use as a flavoring agent and natural preservative in beer. 

 #Honey : undiluted honey acts as viscous barrier to bacteria and infectious agents. Medihoney is commercially available food  & medical grade honey.

 #Neem leaves are used to prevent insects & microbes in the stored cereal grains.

 #Turmeric , cinnamon, and cumin have very good anti- microbial property. When added in snacks ,they naturally increase the self life.

 #Some fruits like citrus (lemon, orange) & Tamarind has high acid content which prevents microbial growth.

 #Tea polyphenols and *rosemary extract, have been widely used in the food industry. The preservative effect of tea polyphenols and rosemary extract is mainly due to the inhibition of some enzymes activities, as well as the free radical scavenging ability and therefore prevention of lipid oxidation [7]

 #Nutraceuticals (nutritional pharmaceuticals) includes isolated nutrients, dietary supplements and herbal products, specific diets, genetically modified food, and processed foods such as cereals, soups, and beverages. It provide protection against chronic disease


*rosemary, is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region.

References :-

1. Rhodehamel, 1992 E.J. Rhodehamel FDA's concerns with sous vide processing Food Technol., 46 (12) (1992), pp. 73-76

2. Meena and Sethi, 1994 M.R. Meena, V. Sethi Antimicrobial activity of essential oils from spices J. Food Sci. Technol., 31 (1994), pp. 68–77

3. Boudreaux et al., 1988 Boudreaux, D.P, Lingle, M.W., Vedamutu, E.R., Gonzales, C.F., 1988. Method for the preservation of creamed cottage cheese, US Patent Chapter 4,728,516.

4. Salih et al., 1990M.A. Salih, W.E. Sandine, J.A. Ayres Inhibitory effect of Microgard on yoghurt and cottage cheese spoilage organisms. Dairy Sci., 73 (1990), pp. 887–889

5. Marie-Josée Lemay, Julie Choquette,Pascal J Delaquis, Claude Gariépy,Natalie Rodrigue, Linda Saucier Antimicrobial effect of natural preservatives in a cooked and acidified chicken meat model ; International Journal of Food Microbiology Volume 78, Issue 3, 25 October 2002, Pages 217–226

6. Stevens et al., 1992 K.A. Stevens, B.W. Sheldon, N.A. Klapes, T.R. Klaenhammer Nisin treatment for inactivation of Salmonella species and other Gram-negative bacteria Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 57 (1992), pp. 3613–3615

7. Bubonja-Sonje et al., 2011 M. Bubonja-Sonje, J. Giacometti, M. Abram; Antioxidant and antilisterial activity of olive oil, cocoa and rosemary extract polyphenols; Food Chemistry, 127 (2011), pp. 1821–1827