The Demand for Clean-Label Continues – PART I: Antimicrobials

MicroGARD ^TM  

Times have changed and synthetic antimicrobials, widely accepted in the past, are no longer label friendly today.  Fortunately, food processors have solutions available that are clean-label and used in food or beverage matrixes with ease.

MicroGARD ^TM is a line of clean-label, natural antimicrobials produced through fermentation. They are produced through the inoculation of GRAS starter cultures, with long safe histories, into a sugar or carbohydrate substrate to ferment and result in the production of the antimicrobial metabolites.

The number of offending microorganisms can be many but you have available hurdles that can help with the shelf life of your products. An antimicrobial is one of several factors influencing the preservation of foods. Additional factors are pH, Aw, temperature, formula, modified atmosphere and competitive exclusion. With proper GMPs in place, MicroGARD ^TM can contribute to the overall preservation of a food system allowing for a clean label, wider geographic distribution of a food item, improved flavor, brand protection and consumer safety.

MicroGARD ^TM offers flexibility by having several offerings providing narrow to broad-spectrum antimicrobial protection. 

For example, if the problem microorganisms in a dressing are yeast and molds and Gram negatives, MicroGARD ^TM 210 can be a solution. However, if the problem is a broad-spectrum including yeast & molds, LAB, spores, Listeria or Gram negatives a combination of MicroGARD ^TM 730 (CO) and 740 could provide the desired protection.

Beside maintaining the freshness of foods, they also provide additional benefits thru taste, texture, color enhancement, emulsion stability, opacity, solids and water binding.

There is a wide list of applications in which you can use MicroGARD ^TM products. Beside its efficacy in dressings, it is also used in dips, spreads, sauces, refrigerated soups, deli salads, side dishes, refrigerated meals, meat analogs, meat, poultry, processed cheese and bars.

In addition to our MicroGARD ^TM line, our antimicrobial line also includes purified antimicrobials such as Nisin and Natamycin.

Please reach out to your SPI Group representative if you would like to know which MicroGARD ^TM or Purified Antimicrobial would be most appropriate for your application.

**(PS – that pretty blue picture is mold growing in your food that doesn’t contain MicroGARD)