THE QUEST FOR NATURAL ANTIMICROBIALS AS NOVEL MEANS OF FOOD PRESERVATION - STATUS-REPORT ON A EUROPEAN RESEARCH-PROJECT

At a time when consumers are demanding the partial or complete removal of chemically synthesized preservatives from foods, there is also an increased demand for convenience foods with long shelf-lives. These co nsumer-led trends have fuelled a renewed interest in the development o f 'more natural' preservatives for extending the shelf-life and mainta ining the safety of foods. Although the antimicrobial properties of ma ny compounds from plant, animal and microbial sources have been report ed their potential for use as natural food preservatives has nor been fully exploited. In this paper, the possible uses of natural antimicro bial compounds as food preservatives, used either singly or in combina tion, are explored. Specific examples are given from a current transna tional research project on Natural Antimicrobial Systems sponsored joi ntly by the European Commission and a consortium of eight food compani es. The results of trials with a range of potential natural preservati ves including lytic enzymes, bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria an d plant antimicrobials in laboratory media and in a variety of foods a nd beverages including apple juice, milk, hard-cooked cheese (Emmental ) and fresh fruit slices ave discussed. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Sc ience Ltd