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Controlling food spoilage is critical not only to maintaining public health, but also to minimizing food loss, which in turn has broad impacts on the economy and the environment. Consumers today, concerned with both human and ecological health, are adamant that the elimination of risk for foodborne disease need not come at the cost of nutritional quality or ecological considerations. Moreover, a large factor towards the continued threat of foodborne illness is the fact that the responsible bacteria are increasingly resistant to conventional antibiotics. Considering that nature provides abundant antimicrobial compounds, it is salutary to assess the role that these compounds can play in fighting foodborne pathogens. As a result of these demands and considerations, natural antimicrobials are beginning to gain ground over their synthetic counterparts in industrial food safety processes. The success of these antimicrobial agents in individual settings has demonstrated that safe food doesnot have to mean highly processed or less sensorially satisfying food.
Natural Preservation: Safety, Losses and Protection will discuss the economic and ecological benefits of a food industry moving away from dependence on synthetic chemicals and preservatives, and illustrate the impact that the extension of shelf life for the minimization of food waste can have on food insecurity across the globe. Readers can expect an overview of safety that considers economic as well as ecological interests, and assesses each stage of the food processing chain for its role in improving the nutritional, physicochemical and sensory values of the product. This includes a discussion of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their secondary metabolic products, bacteriocins, and how their application to fermentation processes can expand the possibilities for natural approaches to food safety, with major implications for global health and ecology.
This volume demonstrates the integral role bio-protectors can play in production processes, promoting their potential while also outlining the necessity for appropriate laboratory, industrial and medical evaluations to ensure their efficacy and win their approval by regulatory bodies. The perspectives offered will be valuable to researchers, policymakers and industry professionals with investments in building a more sustainable and more equitable food system.
List of contents
Introduction in Food System.- In the Global food system: Addressing Food Losses, waste and Safety.- Major Foodborne Zoonotic Pathogens.- Natural Antimicrobial Compounds in Food Safety.- Plant extracts as natural food preservatives.
About the author
Dr. Slavica Vesković Moračanin holds a PhD in Biotechnical Sciences and is a Specialist in Hygiene and Technology of Foodstuffs of Animal Origin, with a degree in Veterinary Medicine. She has been a Principal Research Fellow (equivalent to Full Professor) since 2016 at the Institute for Hygiene and Meat Technology in Belgrade, Serbia, where she has worked since 1996.
Her expertise lies in food microbiology, the use of natural bioprotectors in food production, quality management systems, and sanitation practices. Dr. Vesković Moračanin has contributed significantly to the development of food safety practices and the identification of emerging pathogens in the food industry. Throughout her career, she has led or been part of teams that developed new products and enhanced technological processes in food production, resulting in 12 technical solutions verified by the Ministry of Science of Serbia.
In addition to publishing over 250 scientific papers and six books, she has coordinated large-scale research projects involving over 190 researchers from 12 institutions. She has also served as a consultant for the World Bank and other international organizations, lending her expertise to initiatives that strengthen food safety standards in Serbia and beyond. Her work continues to drive advancements in food safety, aiming to make food production more sustainable and resilient.
Summary
Controlling food spoilage is critical not only to maintaining public health, but also to minimizing food loss, which in turn has broad impacts on the economy and the environment. Consumers today, concerned with both human and ecological health, are adamant that the elimination of risk for foodborne disease need not come at the cost of nutritional quality or ecological considerations. Moreover, a large factor towards the continued threat of foodborne illness is the fact that the responsible bacteria are increasingly resistant to conventional antibiotics. Considering that nature provides abundant antimicrobial compounds, it is salutary to assess the role that these compounds can play in fighting foodborne pathogens. As a result of these demands and considerations, natural antimicrobials are beginning to gain ground over their synthetic counterparts in industrial food safety processes. The success of these antimicrobial agents in individual settings has demonstrated that safe food doesnot have to mean highly processed or less sensorially satisfying food.
Natural Preservation: Safety, Losses and Protection will discuss the economic and ecological benefits of a food industry moving away from dependence on synthetic chemicals and preservatives, and illustrate the impact that the extension of shelf life for the minimization of food waste can have on food insecurity across the globe. Readers can expect an overview of safety that considers economic as well as ecological interests, and assesses each stage of the food processing chain for its role in improving the nutritional, physicochemical and sensory values of the product. This includes a discussion of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their secondary metabolic products, bacteriocins, and how their application to fermentation processes can expand the possibilities for natural approaches to food safety, with major implications for global health and ecology.
This volume demonstrates the integral role bio-protectors can play in production processes, promoting their potential while also outlining the necessity for appropriate laboratory, industrial and medical evaluations to ensure their efficacy and win their approval by regulatory bodies. The perspectives offered will be valuable to researchers, policymakers and industry professionals with investments in building a more sustainable and more equitable food system.
