Safety, quality, and prolonged shelf life of food products are the three most important aspects of the food industry. To ensure a satisfactory scale, both traditional and modern preservatives are widely used. However, as eating habits have upgraded with a focus on what is popularly termed "a healthy diet," there has been a growing demand for food with natural additives over synthetic ingredients. As a result, there have been major developments in the field of food preservation, which are presented in this book. The book provides detailed information on the range of natural food preservatives with their applications in different product sectors. It delves into microbiological food spoilage and discusses natural food preservatives as well as natural antioxidants and antimicrobials as food ingredients. It reviews prevalent preservation technologies, the chemistry behind them, and new nonconventional preservatives. It focuses on innovative technologies, including biological antimicrobial systems such as LABs or their metabolites, bacteriophages, and bacteriophage-encoded enzymes. It provides knowledge about preservatives, such as bacteriocins and ε-polylysine, as well as their usage in achieving the right balance of safety, quality, and shelf-life for specific products. The book is a collection of the research and experiences of an international team of experts and is a valuable tool for all those who are related to the advancements and production of safe and healthy foods. It is a significant reference book for professionals who teach food microbiology courses, conduct research and epidemiologic investigations, analyze food samples, and craft food safety policies.

For centuries man has treated food to prolong its edible life, and nowadays both traditional and modern preservatives are used widely to ensure the satisfactory maintenance of quality and safety of foods. There continues to be increased public concern about the use of food additives, including preservatives, resulting from a perception that some of them may have deleterious effects on health. However, as eating habits have changed with an emphasis on what has been popularly termed a `healthy diet', there is at the same time a concern that reduction in preservative usage could lead to loss of safety and protection from food poisoning. While some preservatives are coming under increasing regulatory pressure others, particularly more natural ones, are receiving increased attention and gaining in importance and acceptability. This book supports the continued safe and effective use of preservatives within these current constraints. It therefore gives detailed information on the practical use of the major antimicrobial preservatives. Uniquely, it couples this with current understanding of their modes of action, at the levels of cellular physiology and biochemistry, in such a way as to provide a sound scientific basis for their efficacy. Such an approach also encourages the future logical development and use of preservatives.

Consumer concerns play a critical role in dictating the direction of research and development in food protection. The rising demand for minimally processed foods, growing concerns about the use of synthetic preservatives, and suspected links between the overuse of antibiotics and multi-drug resistance in microbes has made food safety a global priority. Natural Food Antimicrobial Systems focuses on advances in the technology of food safety. Numerous antimicrobial agents exist in animals and plants where they evolved as defense mechanisms. For example, the antimicrobial components of milk have been unraveled in recent years. The book covers how these components - such as lactoferrin - can be used as multifunctional food additives such as antioxidants and immuno-modulating agents. The six sections cover lacto-antimicrobials, ovo-antimicrobials, phyto-antimicrobials, bacto-antimicrobials, acid-antimicrobials, and milieu-antimicrobials. Each chapter provides background and historical information, molecular properties, antimicrobial activity, biological advantage, applications, safety, tolerance, and efficacy, and biotechnology. To satisfy the rapidly changing consumption patterns of the global market, the food processing industry continuously searches for new technologies in food science. Designed as a reference for academia and corporate R & D, Natural Food Antimicrobial Systems fills this need, offering in-depth information on emerging biotechnology, efficacy, and applications of natural food antimicrobial systems.

The Chemistry of Food Additives and Preservatives is an up-to-date reference guide on the range of different types of additives (both natural and synthetic) used in the food industry today. It looks at the processes involved in inputting additives and preservatives to foods, and the mechanisms and methods used. The book contains full details about the chemistry of each major class of food additive, showing the reader not just what kind of additives are used and what their functions are, but also how they work and how they can have multiple functionalities. In addition, this book covers numerous new additives currently being introduced, and an explanation of how the quality of these is ascertained and how consumer safety is ensured.

Preservatives for the Beverage Industry, Volume Fifteen, a new release in The Science of Beverages series, is a valuable resource that discusses preservatives and their impact in the beverage industry, including potential health impacts. The book takes a broad, multidisciplinary approach to explore both conventional and novel approaches of the types and uses of preservatives. The latest applications and techniques to reduce the use of non-natural or health-threatening preservation elements are also covered. This is a must-have reference for anyone who needs to increase their technical-scientific knowledge in this field. - Includes information on the use of hurdle technology in the preservation of beverages - Provides the latest research and impact of antimicrobial use in the beverages industry - Presents the benefits and risks of preservatives to ensure safety in beverage products

Reflecting current trends in alternative food processing and preservation, this reference explores the most recent applications in pulsed electric field (PEF) and high-pressure technologies, food microbiology, and modern thermal and nonthermal operations to prevent the occurrence of food-borne pathogens, extend the shelf-life of foods, and improve

Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease gathers information on various food types providing an explanation of their nutrient composition, sources, roles, and mechanisms in health and diseases. To obtain good health practices and prevent diseases, it is necessary to understand links in the relationship of food, lifestyle, environment, and health. This book is a vital source for research topics related to these issues, including the following: Analysis of various types of food and lifestyles for the prevention and treatment of diseases and disorders, including cardiovascular disorders, cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. The influences of environmental pollution, synergistic effects of different foods, and synergy of foods with physical activity or medicine. The roles of animal, fungal, and plant source foods in human health and disease. This book is appropriate for health-conscious users, health care providers and practitioners, teachers, and researchers.

Biomaterials in Food Packaging presents up-to-date research on the applications and development of the packaging materials that originate from biological resources. It discusses the advances made in bioactive, biodegradable, edible films, and nano-based smart materials for food packaging applications that can be a substitute for their synthetic counterparts to enhance the food’s shelf life significantly. It not only encompasses a comprehensive overview of environment-compatible and biodegradable biomaterials but also highlights the recent trends in their applications in food packaging. The book is a valuable reference for researchers, undergraduate and postgraduate students, academicians, educators, industry scientists, and general readers seeking bio-based materials for food packaging applications.

Balanced coverage of natural cosmetics, and what it really means to be "green" The use of natural ingredients and functional botanical compounds in cosmetic products is on the rise. According to industry estimates, sales of natural personal care products have exceeded $7 billion in recent years. Nonetheless, many misconceptions about natural products for instance, what "green" and "organic" really mean continue to exist within the industry. Formulating, Packaging, and Marketing of Natural Cosmetic Products addresses this confusion head-on, exploring and detailing the sources, processing, safety, efficacy, stability, and formulation aspects of natural compounds in cosmetic and personal care products. Designed to provide industry professionals and natural product development experts with the essential perspective and market information needed to develop truly "green" cosmetics, the book covers timely issues like biodegradable packaging and the potential microbial risks they present, the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to identify biomarkers, and chromatographic methods of analyzing natural products. A must-read for industry insiders, Formulating, Packaging, and Marketing of Natural Cosmetic Products provides the reader with basic tools and concepts to develop naturally derived formulas.