Individual Presentation: New Clean-Label Antimicrobial for Bakery and Dressing Applications

Consumers continue to seek food products with simple, easy to understand ingredient labels containing fewer ingredients, as they perceive these products to be more healthy. Today many formulators use calcium propionate, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate to prevent mold and bacterial contamination in food products. While these are very effective solutions, they are synthetically derived, leaving manufacturers searching for effective, clean-label alternatives. Today, clean-label alternative solutions include cultured fermentates, that contain some organic acids, which have limited efficacy due to varying concentrations of actives. This often leads to negative impact on the sensory and color attributes of the food product depending on dosage level. Other natural sources of antimicrobial are microbially derived and plant-based compounds.

This work discusses the efficacy of a new clean-label antimicrobial containing buffered vinegar along with plant extract derived from rowanberries (BVR). Rowanberries are rich in phytochemicals which serve as a natural source of antimicrobial. This formulation was tested in different food applications, including baked goods and dressings. Efficacy studies were conducted in muffins, cupcakes, tortilla and ranch dressing. Cupcakes, muffins, and tortillas were made containing 1% of the combination of buffered vinegar and rowanberry extract (BVR) and compared to untreated and positive control (potassium sorbate or calcium propionate or combinations). The studies showed that BVR was similar to the positive control in terms of days to mold, texture, and sensory properties. A challenge study in ranch dressing with acid – resistant microbes Zygosaccharomyces spp and Lactobacillus spp showed that BVR was similar to the positive controls, potassium sorbate at 0.10% and potassium sorbate + sodium benzoate at 0.10% each. These studies demonstrate the potential of new clean-label antimicrobials containing plant-based compounds, which offer efficacy comparable to existing synthetic antimicrobials while meeting customer demands for cleaner and fewer ingredients.