Biopreservation effects in fermented foods

Corsetti, G. Perpetuini, R. Tofalo University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy 

Microorganisms are naturally associated with the raw material used to produce foods, and if not reduced or removed they can spoil the food or be ingested with it and, in the case of pathogens, cause food-borne intoxication of the consumers. 

That implies that a food needs to be preserved in order to be safe and maintain its nutritive and rheological characteristics till the moment of consumption. Food preservation relies on an array of techniques, and the use of chemical compounds represents one of the most frequently applied for many years. By definition, a preservative can be considered as a chemical substance useful to retard or arrest microbial growth in order to prevent food deterioration and/or safety loss (Surekha Reddy, 2000). 

Advances in Fermented Foods and Beverages. http //dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-l-78242 015 6.00013-X 

Among all the possible substances reported as antimicrobials on the basis of in vitro assays, the next sections will focus especially on those compounds for which studies exist about their possible efficacy in situ, as well as on metabolic pathways for production and possible mode of action. 

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