Natural Preservatives in Plant Extracts
At present, most of the preservatives added in food are synthetic chemical preparations, such as benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, calcium propionate, etc. Although they will not cause harm to the human body as long as they are added in an appropriate amount, it is always There is no health benefit.
Under the guidance of the concept of healthy diet, natural preservatives have gradually replaced artificial preservatives, such as nisin and monascus derived from microorganisms; lysozyme, chitosan, protamine, and propolis derived from animals; plant Source of tea polyphenols, garlic extract. Many plant ingredients have bactericidal and insecticidal properties and have certain health care functions for the human body, so plant extracts will play an increasingly important role in the field of food preservatives. The following plant extracts are all natural preservatives that are currently used more in the food field.
Antiseptic Extracts: 1. Pomegranate Peel Extract 2. Green Tea Extract 3. Garlic Extract 4. Cinnamon Extract
Pomegranate peel extract: a natural preservative for meat
The pomegranate peel contains a variety of alkaloids, and the antibacterial test has confirmed that the alcohol extract of pomegranate and the peel water decoction have broad-spectrum antibacterial effects, and have obvious inhibitory effects on a variety of bacteria and fungi.
Under normal temperature environment, fresh meat will breed various bacteria within a day, such as E. coli, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, etc. Eating this kind of meat will cause serious diseases, such as abdominal cramps, headache, fever, Diarrhea, which can even lead to death if left untreated. Therefore, the industry will add preservatives to inhibit the growth of microorganisms to extend the shelf life of food.
Lamb is more difficult to preserve than pork and beef. It can only be kept fresh for six hours after being cut without refrigeration, and there is currently no technology that can make the shelf life of fresh lamb more than 20 hours without chemical preservatives. But by injecting special substances extracted from pomegranate peels into mutton, it can effectively prevent the meat from rotting and breeding bacteria.
Scientists say that while the research on this pomegranate peel extract has focused on lamb, its effects could work on chicken and pork as well.
Green Tea Extract: A Natural Preservative for Pastries
Tea polyphenols are active ingredients extracted from green tea leaves. In addition to the health-care effects of anti-oxidation, scavenging free radicals, anti-cancer and lowering blood lipids, they are also a sterilizing and detoxifying preservative. Can kill botulinum toxin and spores, inhibit the activity of bacterial exotoxin. It has obvious inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus.
Tea polyphenols have been widely used in the food industry as antioxidants and preservatives. my country's food additives use standards stipulate that tea polyphenols can be used in foods such as oils, moon cakes, and hams. The addition of tea polyphenols to meat products can make the protein and tea polyphenols on the surface of meat products form a layer of airtight hard film, which can inhibit the oxidative rancidity and bacterial growth on the surface of meat products and prevent spoilage. In addition, the function of tea polyphenols to inhibit the oxidative rancidity of oils and fats has applications in the fields of edible animal and vegetable oils, fried foods, and aquatic product preservation.
Cakes are the most suitable food for adding tea polyphenols, which can not only solve the anti-corrosion of baked goods such as moon cakes and cakes, but also the taste of green tea and matcha prepared with tea polyphenols is a popular flavor that increases the flavor and taste of food.
Garlic Extract: The Strongest Plant Preservative
The extract of garlic is allicin. Allicin can activate cells, promote energy production, increase antibacterial and antiviral abilities, and has a strong killing effect on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Japanese scholars have found through research that garlic has strong inhibitory and killing effects on dozens of bacteria and fungi that cause food spoilage, and its effect is equivalent to or even stronger than chemical preservatives benzoic acid and sorbic acid. One of the strongest antibacterial effects in plants.
Allicin has a special effect on the preservation of fruits and vegetables. Garlic extract can significantly improve the flavor and color of fruit, improve fruit quality, reduce redness index and rot rate, inhibit the loss of vitamin C content, and at the same time retain nutrients to a greater extent.
