Editorial: Natural compounds in food safety and preservation
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abstract
Food safety is a global challenge, with foodborne diseases posed as a relevant concern for human
health, and food microbial spoilage being a problem for agri-food companies (1). Considerable
research has been dedicated to diverse approaches that can be applied to control foodborne
pathogens and microbial spoilage, among which the potential use of natural compounds has
been highlighted as a strategy for improving food safety, but also quality and extending selflife
(1–3). Furthermore, the negative consumer perception of the synthetic preservatives used
in food industry, associated with an increasing demand for maintenance of nutritional and
quality properties, has encouraged the pursue for the use of natural-based preservatives in food
production (1–3).
In this context, in this Research Topic, natural antimicrobial compounds have been highlighted
by their activity against Chronobacter spp. in infant powdered formula by Yemi¸s and Delaquis.
The authors reviewed the potential of natural compounds from plants, microbial and animal
sources as alternatives to synthetic chemical preservatives, addressing nutritional, toxicological,
and regulatory issues. In fact, the use of natural antimicrobial compounds needs to be guided
considering the regulatory framework, and so the authors suggest the use of well-studied single
compounds over multiple-component preparations.
Among the natural compounds, essential oils have been pointed as promising antimicrobial
mixtures. Yousefi et al. reviewed the potential application of essential oils with antilisterial activity
inmeat and poultry products, since contaminatedmeat products are recognized as onemain source
for Listeria monocytogenes infection. The authors described the efficiency of several essential oils
in the control of L. monocytogenes, whilst addressing the mechanism of action of some selected
compounds and the major drawbacks associated with the application of essential oils in food
products. The activity of natural compounds in food is dependent of various factors, namely
on the complexity and composition of the product, this highlights the need of the validation of
antimicrobial activity in food matrixes. Kiprotich et al. explored the use of thyme oil combined
with Yucca schidigera extract to marinate raw chicken breast meat in lemon juice. The authors
considered the potential of antimicrobial marinade formulations as an approach to reduce enteric
pathogens. Based on their results, thyme oil showed to be an enhancer of the inactivation of
Salmonella enterica on raw chicken breast, increasing the antimicrobial efficacy of lemon juice
marinade containing yucca extract to emulsify the thyme oil.
