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Plant antimicrobial polyphenols as potential natural food preservatives
Author(s) -
Bouarab Chibane Lynda,
Degraeve Pascal,
Ferhout Hicham,
Bouajila Jalloul,
Oulahal Nadia
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.9357
Subject(s) - preservative , antimicrobial , food preservatives , context (archaeology) , food industry , natural food , microbiology and biotechnology , polyphenol , food preservation , food science , food packaging , shelf life , consumer demand , biology , antioxidant , biochemistry , paleontology , economics , market economy
BACKGROUND The growing demand for natural food preservatives in the last decade has promoted investigations on their application for preserving perishable foods. In this context, the present review is focused on discussing the prospective application of plant extracts containing phenolics or isolated plant phenolics as natural antimicrobials in foods. Plant essential oils are outside the scope of this review since utilization of their antimicrobial activity for food preservation has been extensively reviewed. RESULTS Although the exact antimicrobial mechanisms of action of phenolic compounds are not yet fully understood, it is commonly acknowledged that they have diverse sites of action at the cellular level. Antimicrobial phenolics can be added directly to the formulation of perishable food products or incorporated into food‐contact materials to release them in the immediate zone of perishable foods. Edible coatings or active food packaging materials can thus be used as carriers of plant bioactive compounds. CONCLUSION These materials could be an interesting delivery system to improve the stability of phenolics in foods and to improve the shelf life of perishable foods. This review will thus provide an overview of current knowledge of the antimicrobial activity of phenolic‐rich plant extracts and of the promises and limits of their exploitation for the preservation of perishable foods. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry