Natural antimicrobial compounds and biopreservation of food

Abstract

Due to the high content of nutritional substances, large number of foodstuffs represents the ideal environment for microbial growth. Occurrence of spoilage and spoilage type depend on many factors such as microbial species and the intensity of their metabolic activity, their physiological status and the ability to survive various processing procedures and storage conditions. Significant economic losses and increase of consumers' health risk are main consequences of food spoilage. Application of modern protective technologies during food processing, as well as implementation of appropriate microbiological standards, may significantly decrease, although not completely eliminate, occurrence of food spoilage and incidence of food-borne diseases. The use of certain microorganisms, their metabolic products, as well as plant extracts, is based on the development of new technologies of biological conservation and protection, whose application can contribute, on the one hand, to the standardization process of making food products with uniform and / or improved quality parameters, and on the other hand, the emergence of secure products with longer shelf-life. The quest for a natural alternative to food safety, in relation to the use of chemical substances, is one of the most important activities of the food industry which is determined by the request of modern consumer to consume a minimum of processed foods.