Essential Oils as Antimicrobial Agents in Food Preservation

Book excerpt: Perishable products such as fruits and vegetables account for the largest proportion of food loss due to their short shelf life, especially in the absence of proper storage facilities, which requires sustainable, universal and convenient preservation technology. The existing methods to prolong the shelf life of food mainly include adding preservatives, irradiation, cold storage, heat treatment and controlled atmosphere storage. But with disadvantages in irradiation, cold storage, heat treatment and controlled atmosphere storage, chemical synthetic preservatives are still the main means to control food corruption. As the food industry responds to the increasing consumer demand for green, safe and sustainable products, it is reformulating new products to replace chemical synthetic food additives. Essential Oils as Antimicrobial Agents in Food Preservation provides a comprehensive introduction to the antimicrobial activity of plant essential oils and their application strategies in food preservation. It is aimed at food microbiology experts, food preservation experts, food safety experts, food technicians and students. Features: Summarizes the application strategy and safety of essential oil in the field of food preservation Describes the synergistic antibacterial effect of essential oil and antimicrobial agents Explains the action mechanism of essential oil as antimicrobial agent against foodborne fungi, foodborne bacteria, viruses and insects Analyzes the antimicrobial activity of essential oil in gas phase The book discusses how as a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant, essential oil has great potential to be used in the food industry to combat the growth of foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. But because the essential oil itself has obvious smell and is sensitive to light and heat, it cannot be directly added to the food matrix and thus the application strategies presented in this book explain how to alleviate those issues.