Consumers demand food products with fewer synthetic additives but increased safety, quality and shelf-life. These demands have led to renewed interest in the use of natural antimicrobials to preserve foods. However, despite the wide range of potential antimicrobials, relatively few are suitable for use in practice in particular food products. Edited by a leading expert in the field, and with a distinguished international team of contributors, Natural antimicrobials for the minimal processing of foods discusses their practical application in food preservation, often in conjunction with other preservation techniques.
After an introductory chapter, the book first discusses the use of bacteriocins such as nisin in preserving animal and other food products, often in conjunction with other preservation techniques such as high hydrostatic pressure and pulsed electric fields. Subsequent chapters discuss the current and future uses of natamycin, organic acids, antimicrobials from animals and chitosan as preservatives. Three chapters are devoted to antimicrobials from plants and their use in a wide range of applications, including the preservation of fresh and minimally-processed fruits and vegetables. A final group of chapters discuss the use of natural antimicrobials in edible coatings, applications of natural antifungal agents, the combination of natural antimicrobials with irradiation, and the regulatory context.
With its practical emphasis and authoritative coverage, Natural antimicrobials for the minimal processing of foods will be a standard work for the food industry in developing new preservation systems that extend the shelf-life of foods without compromising safety or sensory quality.
Contents
- Introduction
- Nisin in multifactorial food preservation
- Structure and biosynthesis
- Properties
- Spectrum of activity and mode of action
- Current uses
- New applications and the multifactorial approach
- Physical treatments
- Microbiological treatments
- Chemical treatments
- Nisin in the decontamination of animal products
- Overview of current meat decontamination practices
- The need for alternative decontamination treatments
- Factors affecting nisin activity in meat
- Decontamination using nisin
- Bacteriocins other than nisin: The pediocin-like cystibiotic of lactic acid bacteria
- The lactic acid bacteria (LAB)
- Bacteriocin producing lactic acid bacteria
- Class II bacteriocins and cystibiotics of lactic acid bacteria
- Mode of bactericidal action of cystibiotics
- Antibacterial potency and spectrum of activity
- Immunity and resistance to cystibiotics
- Production and purification of cystibiotics
- Applications
- Safety and legal status
- Natamycin: An effective fungicide for food and beverages
- Chemical and physical properties
- Mechanism of action
- Sensitivity of moulds and yeasts to natamycin
- Resistance
- Applications
- Toxicology
- Regulatory status for use in foods
- Organic acids
- Organic acids in complex food systems
- Organic acids in meat decontamination
- Development of acid resistance in microorganisms
- Legislation, labeling and consumer acceptance
- Future trends
- Sources of further information and advice
- Antimicrobials from animals
- Iron-cheltore
- Enzymes
- Immunoglobulins
- Applications in food
- Toxicology
- Legislation and labeling
- Chitosan: New food preservative of laboratory curiosity
- The antimicrobial properties of chitosan in vitro
- The antimicrobial properties of chitosan in foods and beverages
- Chitosan in combination with traditional preservatives
- Antimicrobials from herbs and spices
- Barriers to the adoption of flavouring substances as antimicrobials in foods
- Methodological issues
- Studies in vitro
- Applications in food
- Mode of action and development of resistance
- Legislation
- Future prospects and multifactorial preservation
- Natural antimicrobials in postharvest storage of fresh fruits and vegetables
- Compounds of plant origin
- Natural volatile compounds
- Compounds of microbial and animal origin
- Resistance
- Additive and synergistic combinations
- Extent of take-up by industry
- Plant antimicrobials combined with conventional preservatives for fruit products
- Combinations of natural and conventional antimicrobials for inhibiting microbial growth in laboratory media
- Natural antimicrobials combined with ultrasonic treatment and conventional preservatives
- Combination treatments for strawberry purée
- Combination treatments for banana purée
- Consumer acceptance and sensory evaluation of minimally processed fruits containing vanillin
- Edible coatings containing natural antimicrobials for processed foods
- Edible coatings and antimicrobials for food
- Laboratory evaluation of antimicrobial-containing edible coatings and films
- Coatings on model food systems and foods
- Legislation and labeling
- Consumer acceptance
- Natural antimicrobials in combination with gamma irradiation
- Gamma irradiation in food preservation
- Combinations of low-dose irradiation with natural antimicrobial compounds
- Natural antimicrobial compounds as antioxidants
- Consumer acceptance
- Natural antifungal agents for bakery products
- Antimicrobial activity of essential oils and antioxidants against bakery moulds in laboratory media
- Control of mould in bakery products
- Consumer acceptance
- Regulations: New food additives, ingredients and processes
- Natural antimicrobials: food ingredients or food additivies
- The legislation on food preservatives
- Authorisation of new preservatives
- Genetic modification
- Processes and packaging
- New or novel ingredients and processes
- Borderline between food and medicine
- Future prospects for natural antimicrobials
Index
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