Near the end of 2018, a research group at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore discovered a plant-based food preservative and published their findings in Food Chemistry. Since then, the team has set on further developing its findings to benefit the food industry and to enhance "the efficacy and safety of their natural preservative so that it can be used in all packaged food products."
The plant-based food preservatives are found in flavonoids which are "naturally occurring chemicals in plants such as onions, tea strawberries, kale, and grapes." They are responsible for vivid colors, as well as adding protection of the vegetable/fruit/herb against pathogens, herbivores, pests, and more. Led by Professor William Chen, the research team "engineered baker's yeast to produce flavonoids from plants" that had antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. During trials, the scientists discovered that their plant-based food preservative "kept samples fresh for two days without refrigeration, making it superior to commercial-grade artificial food preservatives."
Plant-Based Food Preservatives
Nanyang Technological University Researchers Bet on Naturality
Trend Themes
1. Plant-based Food Preservation - Research on plant-based food preservatives presents an opportunity for natural and sustainable food preservation, creating a potential for plant-based food preservation products and services.
2. Flavonoid-based Food Preservation - Flavonoids presents a potential disruptive innovation opportunity in food preservation, as scientists can engineer baker's yeast to produce flavonoids from plants which can be used to preserve food in natural and sustainable ways.
3. Natural Preservation Methods - The development of plant-based preservation methods can disrupt the food preservation industry, which is dominated by commercial-grade artificial food preservatives, leading to more natural and sustainable preservation methods.
Industry Implications
1. Food and Beverage Industry - The food and beverage industry can embrace plant-based food preservatives, incorporating it into their food preservation processes to provide natural and sustainable food preservation for their products.
2. Natural Health Products Industry - The natural health products industry can utilize the flavonoids found in plants as a natural preservative for their products, promoting the use of naturality and sustainability and potential new product lines.
3. Agriculture and Farming Industry - The agriculture and farming industry can explore the potential of flavonoids found in plants for pest and disease control, leading to the development of alternative natural control methods and increasing crop yields.