Natural Antimicrobial Agents Utilized in Food Preservation

Dear Colleagues,

Since today's consumers, especially in developed countries, are interested into more natural or minimally technologically processed food without the addition of synthetic preservatives or additives due to their possible adverse health effects, the modern food industry is facing a big challenge. Obesity, metabolic syndrome, allergic reactions, as well as undesired effects on the nutritional and/or organoleptic aspects of food make synthetic preservatives increasingly undesirable in our food. To fully satisfy the “more natural food” criteria while retaining food safety during production, transport or storage, the food industry is now focused on finding long-term healthier solutions. One possibility is the application of natural antimicrobial agents (such as plant extracts, essential oils, their components, agents of animal or microorganism origin) that could significantly help reduce the dependency on chemical preservatives, while producing safe and healthy food products. Natural compounds or their combination may be beneficial as additives in limiting or preventing the presence and growth of pathogenic and food-spoilage microorganisms in food (via direct addition to food or application to the surface of the product). Further, they can be incorporated into active packaging systems or applied in the micro form, both as nanocapsules and nanoemulsions. Products with a short shelf life are particularly affected by this problem due to their short storage and distribution. Moreover, in comparison to synthetic preservatives, natural products with different origins can exhibit additional beneficial effects alongside antimicrobial activity, including antioxidant activity, pharmacological activity, low toxicity, better biodegradability and a favorable sensory impact on the food product.

The goal of this Special Issue is to publish current original research papers on the use of natural antimicrobial agents of plant, animal and microorganism origin in food preservation, with a particular emphasis on antimicrobial, antioxidative activity, food safety, nutritive quality, food quality and sensory properties.

Dr. Sunčica Kocić-Tanackov
Prof. Dr. Hrvoje Pavlović
Guest Editors

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• antimicrobial agents from plant, animal and microorganism origins
• antimicrobial, antioxidative and pharmacological activity
• mechanisam of action
• application in food preservation
• food safety/safety assessment of food
• nutritive quality
• food quality
• senzory properties