Developments in natural food preservatives

In the last two decades, there has been an increase in the incidence and detection of food-bourne diseases together with increasing consumer demand for foods containing reduced levels of chemically-synthesised food additives. Consequently, antimicrobial compounds derived from various plants, animals and microorganisms have constituted a locus of renewed interest as potentially natural substitutes for chemical food preservatives. In this paper, results from a selection of trials with lytic enzymes and bacteriocins in laboratory media and in a variety of foods are discussed. Much of the work described has formed part of two collaborative research project funded by the European Commission's FLAIR and FAIR programmes.