Organic Acids and Food Preservation

Although organic acids have been used to counteract pathogens in food for many years, there is a glaring need to assess and improve their continued effectiveness and sustainability. There is also a growing demand for foods that are produced using milder treatments (e.g., less heat, salt, sugar, and chemicals) and newer technologies to prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria.

Organic Acids and Food Preservation concentrates on safe and effective techniques for applying organic acids to prevention of bacterial growth. Despite the wide range of potentially useful antimicrobials, relatively few are suitable in practice—and this invaluable hands-on guide explains why. With its wealth of information and rare focus solely on the subject, it provides practical tools that can be used in the food industry, various academic disciplines, research, education, and food technology fields to better understand the problem and develop optimal solutions.

• Why are preservative strategies ineffective?
• Why are microorganisms becoming acid tolerant and resistant in other ways?

To answer these and other key questions, the authors combine research findings from industries and laboratories around the globe, specific application regimen, future prospects, and other information that is vital to the successful use of organic acids as food preservatives. After outlining challenges that the food industry faces from modern consumer trends, food legislation, and other obstacles, this book then explores possible solutions that are applicable not only to food science but to microbiology, food science, food technology, biochemistry, and biotechnology. It will become a valuable addition to the library of any scientist or researcher working in these and other fields.

Maria Theron is a full-time researcher in the Unit for Applied Food Science and Biotechnology (UAFSB) at the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. She holds a Ph.D in Medical Microbiology from the University of the Free State (UFS). She is currently steering a project on "Organic Acids as Antimicrobials in Food Preservation" within the research niche area of the UAFSB.

Ryk Lues is currently full professor and head of the Programme Environmental Health at the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, South Africa. He also heads the Unit for Applied Food Safety and Biotechnology at the CUT. Lues holds an MSc (Microbiology) and a Ph.D (Food Science) from the University of the Free State and his field of specialization comprises organic acid biotechnology and social–behavioral aspects affecting food microbiology and hygiene.