Handbook Of Preservatives

This handbook contains comprehensive information on more than 5000 trade names and generic chemicals and materials that are used in a broad range of formulations to prevent the contamination and decomposition of end products. Product degradation can be caused by exposure to oxygen, ozone, bacteria, molds, yeast, mildew, and fungi. The industries that depend on the proper selection of preserving chemicals and materials are diverse and include: plastics, elastomers, construction, paper/pulp, agriculture, textiles, paints and coatings, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, beverages.This handbook contains comprehensive information on a variety of preservatives available from major chemical manufacturers and can expedite the material selection process for chemists, formulators and purchasing agents by providing the answers to these questions:? Is the agent capable of inhibiting the detrimental effects of oxygen, ozone, or microbes to the extent necessary?? Is the agent's overall physical and chemical attributes compatible with the product or system being protected?? Can the agent remain stable under storage conditions and for the application requirements?? Is its safety in production and handling acceptable?? Does its level of toxicity meet environmental regulations?? Does it meet cost requirements?

My professional interest in antimicrobial agents and contamination control goes back 50 years to my tour as a microbiologist in a field hospital in Europe during World War II. With no experience and relying solely on a military handbook, I prepared thermometer trays with jars of blue bichloride of mercury and pink isopropyl alcohol. A preliminary typhoid diagnosis of one of our cooks resulted in the need for lab testing. His stool specimen and its subsequent disposal was my problem. My handbook said bum it. So burn it T did, in a five-gallon can with gasoline. Flames shot up almost six feet, and my next mistake was to extinguish them with carbon tetrachloride. This resulted in the production of lethal phosgene gas. The hospital had a near disaster. I could say that at that moment I vowed to write a how-to book so that such stupidities could be avoided. Nevertheless, when I was offered the opportunity to edit this book I thought back on the need for a real, practical treatment of my subject. This book, then, is a practical handbook for technical service personnel and scientists who are not necessarily specialists in microbiology. It provides information on suitable antimicrobial agents appropriate to their particular problem-solving needs and information on the microbial groups contributing to the specific problem, their ecologies, and strategies for controlling their access to the area or material of interest.

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.

The processing of food is no longer simple or straightforward, but is now a highly inter-disciplinary science. A number of new techniques have developed to extend shelf-life, minimize risk, protect the environment, and improve functional, sensory, and nutritional properties. The ever-increasing number of food products and preservation techniques cr

Natural additives are increasingly favoured over synthetic ones as methods of ensuring food safety and long shelf-life. The antimicrobial properties of both plant-based antimicrobials such as essential oils and proteins such as bacteriocins are used in, for example, edible preservative films, in food packaging and in combination with synthetic preservatives for maximum efficacy. New developments in delivery technology such as nanoencapsulation also increase the potential of natural antimicrobials for widespread use in industry. Part one introduces the different types of natural antimicrobials for food applications. Part two covers methods of application, and part three looks at determining the effectiveness of natural antimicrobials in food. Part four focuses on enhancing quality and safety, and includes chapters on specific food products. Reviews different types of antimicrobials used in food safety and quality Covers how antimicrobials are created to be used in different foods Examines how the antimicrobials are used in foods to enhance the safety and quality

The aim of this book is to present technical information about the additives used in food product development, in a concise form. Food product development is an activity which requires application of technical skills and the use of a diverse range of information. Normally this information is scattered throughout the vast food science literature in journals and books and in technical publications from the various suppliers. It has been my experience, through consulting with the food industry, that there is a need for information on food additives in a quick-to-use form-in tables and figures where possible. Time wasted during information retrieval causes delay in practical development work, which results in delay of product launch and possibly the loss of market advantage. This handbook will be used by food product development staff and by all food scientists requiring access to information on food additives in a quick-to-use format. Some knowledge of food science is assumed. Each chapter contains a bibliography which can be consulted if further informa tion is required. Local legislation will have to be consulted to determine the legality of use of the additive, in which foods and at what level of addition. Information on safety can be found in Food Additives Handbook (1989) by R. J. Lewis, published by Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.