Study: Essential Oils May Provide Good Source of Food Preservation

21 Jul 2014 --- A new study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), 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 properties. Essential oils act as antioxidants in several different ways, such as free radical scavengers, termination of peroxides, prevent lipid oxidation (spoiling), and more.

Essential oil incorporation into packaging may improve water vapor barrier properties of protein-based films, increase the strength of the film and resistance to stretching, decrease transparency, and help prevent food spoilage by interacting with the films other properties.

Essential oils are concentrated liquids of complex mixtures of volatile compounds and can be extracted from several plant organs. Essential oils are a good source of several bioactive compounds, which possess antioxidative and antimicrobial properties. In addition, some essential oils have been used as medicine. Furthermore, the uses of essential oils have received increasing attention as the natural additives for the shelf-life extension of food products, due to the risk in using synthetic preservatives. Essential oils can be incorporated into packaging, in which they can provide multifunctions termed “active or smart packaging.” Those essential oils are able to modify the matrix of packaging materials, thereby rendering the improved properties.

The review covers up-to-date literatures on essential oils including sources, chemical composition, extraction methods, bioactivities, and their applications, particularly with the emphasis on preservation and the shelf-life extension of food products.