What is a food preservative?

Have you ever noticed the packet included when you buy snacks at a shop?
This packet is a “food preservative.”
You can enjoy snacks, bread, and other foods, with peace of mind because of this packet packaged together.

There are many causes for food deterioration, and the use of food preservatives prevents deterioration.

Causes for food deterioration

Temperature
Humidity
Light
Microorganisms

Relationship between influential factors and shelf life

Factor		Long shelf life	Short shelf life
Environment	Temperature	Low	High
	Humidity	Low	High
	Light	Weak	Strong
	Oxygen concentration	Low	High
Ingredient	Water Activity	Low	High
Ingredient	pH	Low (High)	Neutral
Microorganisms	Initial bacterial count	Small	Large
Packaging	Packaging film	Highly gas barrier	Low gas barrier
	Gas displacement	Present	Absent
	Ethanol gas	High concentration	Low concentration

What is water activity (Aw)?

There are two main types of water contained in foods: “free water” and “bound water.”
“Free water,” easily evaporates and migrates, and can be used to propagate microorganisms.
“Bound water” binds to proteins and carbohydrates in foods.
Water activity is expressed as a numerical value showing the amount of “free water” and is an indicator of preservability of foods.

* The water activity value is defined as the relative humidity on the surface of foods.

As an example, jam is a food containing a high moisture content, but its water activity is not so high because much of the water is bound to sugar.
On the other hand, white bread is fairly high in water activity because it contains little sugar and salt.

The EZ-200, which enables high-precision and short-time measurements and includes a color touch panel, is the only made-in-Japan water activity meter.

FREUND’s food preservatives

FREUND’s food preservatives that prevent the deterioration of foods are broadly divided into three types.

Ethanol evaporation agent

Ethanol gas is subject to evaporation in sealed packaging to prevent the growth of mold and also retain “softness” and “moistness” of foods.

Ethanol evaporation agent + Oxygen absorber

The strongest bacteriostatic effect is exerted by combining the two functions.

Oxygen absorber

Oxygen in sealed packaging is absorbed to prevent the growth of mold and also prevent deterioration by oxidation.

How to choose food preservatives

Food preservatives should be used in accordance with the foods used and the purpose.

	Ethanol evaporation agent	Ethanol evaporation agent + Oxygen absorber	Oxygen absorber
Inhibitory effects on fungi and bacteria	Mold　　✓✓ Yeast　　Fair Bacteria　　Fair	Mold　　✓✓ Yeast　　✓ Bacteria　　✓	Mold　　✓✓ Yeast　　Fair Bacteria　　Fair
Softness/moistness	✓✓	✓	-（Poor）
Antioxidant effect	-（Poor）	✓✓	✓✓

Quality Preservation Effect (Example)

Muffin

Introduction to the quality preservation effect of Antimold-Mild^® on plain-wrap muffin
Practical example
Pound cake

Introduction to the quality preservation effect of Antimold-Mild^® on plain-wrap pound cake
Practical example
Chiffon cake

Introduction to the quality preservation effect of Antimold-Mild^® on a plain-wrap chiffon cake
Practical example
Bagel

Introduction to the quality preservation effect of Antimold-Mild^® on a plain-wrap bagel
Practical example