• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.547-557
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• 2016

This review discusses the status, antimicrobial mechanisms, application, and regulation of natural preservatives in livestock food systems. Conventional preservatives are synthetic chemical substances including nitrates/nitrites, sulfites, sodium benzoate, propyl gallate, and potassium sorbate. The use of artificial preservatives is being reconsidered because of concerns relating to headache, allergies, and cancer. As the demand for biopreservation in food systems has increased, new natural antimicrobial compounds of various origins are being developed, including plant-derived products (polyphenolics, essential oils, plant antimicrobial peptides (pAMPs)), animal-derived products (lysozymes, lactoperoxidase, lactoferrin, ovotransferrin, antimicrobial peptide (AMP), chitosan and others), and microbial metabolites (nisin, natamycin, pullulan, ε-polylysine, organic acid, and others). These natural preservatives act by inhibiting microbial cell walls/membranes, DNA/RNA replication and transcription, protein synthesis, and metabolism. Natural preservatives have been recognized for their safety; however, these substances can influence color, smell, and toxicity in large amounts while being effective as a food preservative. Therefore, to evaluate the safety and toxicity of natural preservatives, various trials including combinations of other substances or different food preservation systems, and capsulation have been performed. Natamycin and nisin are currently the only natural preservatives being regulated, and other natural preservatives will have to be legally regulated before their widespread use.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.319-330
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• 2023

Some preservatives are naturally contained in raw food materials, while in some cases may have been introduced in food by careless handling or fermentation. However, it is difficult to distinguish between intentionally added preservatives and the preservatives naturally produced in food. The objective of this study was to evaluate the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of propionic acid, sorbic acid, and benzoic acid for inhibiting food spoilage microorganisms in animal products, which can be useful in determining if the preservatives are natural or not. The broth microdilution method was used to determine the MIC of preservatives for 57 microorganisms. Five bacteria that were the most sensitive to propionic acid, benzoic acid, and sorbic acid were inoculated in unprocessed and processed animal products. A hundred microliters of the preservatives were then spiked in samples. After storage, the cells were counted to determine the MIC of the preservatives. The MIC of the preservatives in animal products ranged from 100 to 1,500 ppm for propionic acid, from 100 to >1,500 ppm for benzoic acid, and from 100 to >1,200 ppm for sorbic acid. Thus, if the concentrations of preservatives are below the MIC, the preservatives may not be added intentionally. Therefore, the MIC result will be useful in determining if preservatives are added intentionally in food.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.146-164
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• 2024

Owing to the residual toxicity and adverse health effects of chemical preservatives, there is an increasing demand for using natural preservatives in food. Although many natural extracts have been evaluated, research on their antibacterial effects remains insufficient. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the possibility of developing Psidium guajava, Ecklonia cava, and Paeonia japonica (Makino) Miyabe & Takeda extracts as natural food preservatives. Further, the effect of mixing these extracts on microbial growth and quality was evaluated during the refrigeration of sausages. Optimal mixing ratios were determined based on the minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of each mixed extract against the Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli. D-optimal mixing design optimization tool was further used to obtain an optimum mixing ratio of Formulation 1 (F1). The antibacterial activity of F1 increased with increasing concentration, with similar activities at 0.5% and 1%. The sausages with synthetic or natural preservatives showed significantly lower lipid oxidation than those of the control and grapefruit extract-treated sausages after 4 wk of refrigeration. Total plate counts were observed only in the control and treatment groups stored for 3 wk, and no significant effect of ascorbic acid was observed. Compared to the other samples, sausages with added natural extracts showed the highest overall acceptability scores initially and after 4 wk. Therefore, similar amounts of grapefruit seed and natural extracts had the same effect on microbiological analysis and lipid rancidity during sausage storage. Hence, this mixture can serve as a potential natural preservative in meat products.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.179-189
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• 2023

Consumers and industry experts frequently have negative perceptions of most chemical preservatives. Although most people concede that they cannot resolve global food waste issues without preservatives, they prefer products without chemical preservatives. Numerous emerging technologies is now surpassing conventional methods for mitigating microbial food deterioration in response to consumer demand and fundamental health and safety considerations, including biological antimicrobial systems such as using food-grade microorganisms and their metabolites primarily originating from microorganisms, plants, and animals. Microbial compounds, including bacteriocins, bacteriophages, and anti-fungal agents, plant extracts such as flavonoids and essential oils; and animal-originated compounds, such as lysozyme, chitosan, and lactoferrin, are considered some of the major bio-preservatives. These natural compounds can be used alone or with other preservatives to improve food safety. Hence, the use of microbes or their metabolic byproducts to extend the shelf life of foods while maintaining safety standards is known as bio-preservation. To manufacture and consume foods in a safe condition, this review primarily aims to broaden knowledge amongst industry professionals and consumers regarding bio-preservation techniques, bio-preservatives, their classifications, and distinctive mechanisms to enhance food safety.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.417-426
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• 2018

Food preservatives are very important food additives for the biological and chemical safety of processed foods. The purposes of this study were to investigate Korean consumer's perception and information needs on food preservatives, to develop an educational booklet as a risk communication material on food preservatives, and to assess the educational effect of the developed booklet. To understand perception on food preservatives, a self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted by 381 parents having elementary school students at Seoul and Geoynggi area in Korea. Based on the survey results, brain storming of the authors along with consultation from the professionals, we developed a risk communication booklet about food preservatives. It was exposed to 35 parents of elementary school children, and their evaluation was collected by using a questionnaire and analyzed statistically. Respondents considered food safety (44.8%) as the most important factor while purchasing processed foods. They still perceived food additives as the most hazardous one (41.5%), and among those, food preservatives were the most concerned (45.9%). Total 67.7% of the respondents considered the consumption of food preservatives as hazardous or very hazardous. However, 90.6% of respondents did not have any educational experience about food additives and food preservatives. Based on their information needs, a science-based booklet consisting of the definition, classification, safety, intake, and management of food preservatives was developed. When the booklet titled as 'Food preservatives, Just Know Them!' was exposed to the parents via elementary school teacher, their negative perceptions on food additives and food preservatives were changed positively by increasing the understanding level on preservatives from 18.9% to 90.9% and obtaining 72.7% positive answers on their safety. Therefore, it could be used as an effective risk communication material on food preservatives.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.577-581
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• 2020

This study examined the physicochemical properties of radish pickle containing different natural preservatives (grapefruit seed extract, green tea extract, rosemary, or olive) stored for 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks. The hardness and color of the radish pickles with the grapefruit seed extract was higher than the other radish pickles during storage from week 0 to week 4. A 14.52% and 13.80% decrease in hardness and color were observed in the radish pickles with grapefruit seed extract (GFE), respectively. In addition, the total phenolic content was highest in the GFE in natural preservatives. Based on the results, GFE was selected as the optimal natural preservatives, and the growth of total viable bacteria and yeast were evaluated. The total viable bacteria and yeast showed similar patterns to the control. These results are expected to be useful in producing radish pickles with optimal quality and contribute to the development of various foods in the food industry.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.557-561
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• 2005

Effects of natural preservatives on quality and shelf-life of fresh pork were investigated by evaluating changes in physicochemical properties, sensory evaluation, and mcrobial properties during storage. Acidity and VBN values of pork with preservatives were lower than those of control. Total bacterial count of pork with preservatives was significantly lower than that of control during storage. Sensory results showed pork with preservatives had lower sensory color and off-flavor scores than control. Changes in pH, VBN, total bacterial count, coliform group, and sensory evaluation revealed pork with preservatives showed less quality changes than control during storage, regardless of storage temperature. Results indicated that addition of preservatives to pork increased shelf-life by 7 days at $4^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.216-220
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• 1995

In order to investigate the possible use of vegetable kimchi stuff as natural preservatives for kimchi, the methanol extracts of 15 kinds of vegetable kimchi stuff were solvent-fractionated and fractions were tested for antimicrobial activities against Leuconostoc mesenteroids, Pediococcus cerevisiae, Lactobacillus plantarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The neutral fractions of the extracts of garlic and leek showed strong antimicrobial activities. The extract of leek showed particularly strong antimicrobial activities against Ped. cerevisiae and L. plantarum that were known to be main microorganism of fermentation and acidification of kimchi. The results suggest the possible use of the leek extract as natural preservatives for kimchi.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.529-535
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• 2014

To examine the levels of preservatives that occur naturally in food, wild plants used as commercial teas, rice cakes, or spices were studied according to the method of the Korean Food Code and analyzed with a gas chromatograph and HPLC. The levels of the natural preservatives (sodium dehydroacetate, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, methyl p-hydroxybenzoate, ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate, isopropyl p-hydroxybenzoate, propyl p-hydroxybenzoate, isobutyl p-hydroxybenzoate, butyl p-hydroxybenzoate, and propionic acid) in 21 cases were investigated against 15 kinds of wild plants. Six of 15 kinds of wild plants, such as pine needles, bamboo leaf, kudzu leaf, ramie leaf, mugwort, and nut pine leaf, were confirmed to have had sorbic acid, benzoic acid, and propionic acid. 8.201-21.839 mg/kg of benzoic acid was detected in the bamboo leaf, ramie leaf, pine needles, mugwort, kudzu leaf, and nut pine leaf. The sorbic acid contents of the bamboo leaf and the kudzu leaf were 5.630-24.995 mg/kg, respectively. The propionic acid content of the ramie leaf was 61.324-62.726 mg/kg. Nine kinds of wild plants, such as the Korean berchimia leaf, taro leaf, sasa borealis, lotus leaf, kuansh, chrysanthemum zawadskii, oak tree leaf, Chinese pepper leaf, and persimmon leaf, were not detected at the levels of the natural preservatives.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.435-444
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• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of natural preservatives (G3, G3-1, F3, and F3-1) using Cordyceps militaris on improvement of food quality and safety of noodle during storage. Wheat flour noodle were prepared using three different concentrations of natural preservatives (0.100, 0.200, and 0.400%). Changes in microbial populations, pH value, titratable acidity, and sensory evaluation were measured during storage at $12{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ for 3 days. Overall, use of natural preservatives resulted in lower levels of total mesophilic bacteria, coliform, yeast and mold in noodle compared to the control. In particular, natural preservatives using $2{\times}$ MIC concentrations (0.400%) of F3 and F3-1 were effective at maintaining levels of total mesophilic bacteria for noodle during storage. The pH values of noodle made with F3 and F3-1 were higher than the others. The titratable acidity of noodle with natural preservatives did not significantly change during storage. In sensory evaluation, appearance, color, and overall acceptability of noodle with F3 and F3-1 were preferred than the control. These results could provide useful information for developing an alternative preservation method to improve food quality and shelf-life of noodle using natural preservatives.