AsianScientist (Sep. 3, 2018) – A research group at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore has discovered a plant-based food preservative that is more effective than artificial preservatives. They published their findings in Food Chemistry.
Artificial preservatives have been added to food so as to delay food spoilage. However, in recent years, there have been concerns over the long-term impact of artificial preservatives on health.
In July 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics, which represents some 67,000 pediatricians in the United States, issued an announcement expressing concerns about chemicals used in food preservatives, especially for meat products. These include nitrates and nitrites, which can interfere with thyroid hormone production and have also been linked to gastrointestinal and nervous system cancers.
To avoid the use of artificial food preservatives, researchers led by Professor William Chen, director of NTU’s Food Science & Technology program, identified flavonoids as safe and effective food preservatives. Flavonoids are naturally occurring chemicals in plants such as onions, tea, strawberries, kale and grapes, and are responsible for the vivid colors of these food items. Additionally, flavonoids are responsible for defending plants against pathogens, herbivores, pests and environmental stress, such as strong ultraviolet rays from prolonged hours of sunshine.
The researchers first engineered baker’s yeast to produce flavonoids from plants. They then showed that these flavonoids possessed strong antimicrobial and antioxidant properties—two key traits of preservatives that inhibit bacterial growth and keep food fresher for longer. In tests carried out on meat and fruit juice samples, the organic preservative kept samples fresh for two days without refrigeration, making it superior to commercial-grade artificial food preservatives. The other food samples with artificial preservatives succumbed to bacteria contamination within six hours.
“This organic food preservative is derived from plants and produced from food grade microbes, which means that it is 100 percent natural. It is also more effective than artificial preservatives and does not require any further processing to keep food fresh,” said Chen.
“This may open new doors in food preservation technologies, providing a low-cost solution for industries, which will in turn encourage a sustainable food production system that can produce healthier food that stay fresh longer,” he added.
The NTU research team aims to further develop their findings with the food industry and enhance the efficacy and safety of their natural preservative so that it can be used in all packaged food products.
The article can be found at: Ng et al. (2018) Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Phenolic Metabolites From Flavonoid-producing Yeast: Potential as Natural Food Preservatives.
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Source: Nanyang Technological University; Photo: Pexels.
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