If you worry about all the synthetic chemicals used in food preservation and packaging take heart. A new study has found that essential oils may be able to be used as food preservatives in packaging to help extend the shelf-life of food products. Essential oils are aromatic oily liquids extracted from different parts of plants (roots, peels, leaves, seeds, fruits, barks) and have been shown to be a good source of antioxidative and antimicrobial substances. The review of the scientific evidence to date, published in the Journal of Food Science, looked at a range of essential oils noting their ability to fight bacteria and fungi which can spoil food. Amongst the most powerful essential oils were oregano and thyme –both rich in a substance called carvacrol – and rosemary each of which had a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae) bacteria. Coriander was also found to be effective. nyrnaturalnews/food/2014/07/essential-oils-a-better-way-to-preserve-food/
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 07:21:15 +0000
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