FOOD PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES WITH PLANT ESSENTIAL OILS

Book excerpt: Consumer preferences for cleaner label products require the food industry to replace synthetic preservatives with natural substitutes. Compared with other types of food preservatives, plant essential oils are becoming more and more popular because they meet the current development requirements of food additives on "green", "safe" and "healthy". However, there are still many problems to be solved urgently in the application of essential oil in food preservation industry. For example, plant essential oils usually have strong odor, are sensitive to light and heat, are easy to oxidize and decompose, have strong volatility and short effect, and the minimum inhibitory concentration in food matrix is usually higher than the minimum inhibitory concentration in vitro. Therefore, in order to solve these problems effectively and meet the learning needs of engineering technicians in food industry and scientific researchers in higher education, the author has compiled this monograph which integrates the application and academic value combining years of research experience in plant essential oil research and food preservation.