We recently took a look at some of the confusing terms in the food ingredient and manufacturing space, and we hope it was helpful to you.

(If you missed part I, check out the blog HERE)

As we explore shelf life extension, we will look at buffered vinegar this week.

Buffering Vinegar

Buffering simply means altering the pH to avoid significant organoleptic challenges presented from regular vinegar.

Buffered vinegar is often used in both pork and poultry applications, is cleanly labeled as vinegar, and results in no sodium contribution to the finished product.

In poultry applications, buffered vinegar is highly effective in controlling lactic acid bacteria, listeria, and leuconostoc.

Lactic Acid Bacteria, Listeria, and Leuconostoc

• Lactic Acid Bacteria

A facultative anaerobic bacteria (meaning they tolerate oxygen) and can cause greening of meat, off flavors, and bloating of packaging.

• Listeria

A facultative anaerobic, pathogenic bacteria (HUH?). It can survive in the presence or absence of oxygen. It can infect the brain, spinal cord or the bloodstream of the host through ingestion of contaminated food.

• Leuconostoc

A genus of gram-positive bacteria that is often attributed to the slimy outer layer found on chicken.

Buffered Vinegar is highly effective at treating these different components to achieve longer shelf life. Depending on the scope and particular organism desired to treat different levels of vinegar are recommended.

Stay tuned for the final post of this series: Sifting Through the Noise (Part 3 of 3).

Clean label. Preservatives. Antimicrobials. Additives. Shelf life extension.

What does it all really mean?

They are words we hear all the time in the food ingredient and manufacturing space, but what do the words really mean and how do we sift through the noise to the information that is relevant to our industry?

In this three-part series, I will be exploring preservatives and antimicrobials used in shelf life extension.

So, let’s start with some terminology:

Clean Label

Currently the FDA has not promulgated a regulation or terminology on clean labels. It is a movement following perceived consumer perception. Generally speaking, most view clean labels as a reduction in the number of ingredients, especially those with hard to pronounce names, ingredients that are artificial or synthetic, and ingredients that have limited nutritional value.

Shelf Life Extension

This is a term used to extend the life of a finished product before it unsafe or undesirable to eat. Shelf life extenders can prohibit, inhibit, or retard the growth of psycohrotrophs, yeast and mold, acidity development, lueconostoc, listeria, etc.

Additives

This is a catch all term, defined by the FDA as: “any substance, the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result, directly or indirectly, in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the characteristics of any food”.

Simply put, it is pretty much any ingredient and can range from additives intended to enhance flavor, organoleptic properties, color, texture, or appearance to ingredients designed to stymie listeria growth.

Citric Acid, Salt, Maltodextrin, and Soy Protein are all examples.

Preservatives

These are ingredients added to food to prevent or limit the growth of dangerous microorganisms or spoilage from oxidation or light. They can be broken out into two categories, and each have both standard and clean label variants:

1.) Antioxidants

prevent oxidation and can range from products like BHT and BHA to
clean label products like Rosemary Extract, Vitamin E, and Tocopherols.

Check out my blog on antioxidants

2.) Antimicrobials

prevent or limit the growth of microorganisms.

Stay tuned for the rest of this series: Sifting Through the Noise (Part 2 of 3).

Antioxidants are molecules that inhibit the oxidation of other molecules. This is important because oxidation, the exposure to oxygen, creates a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals, leading to chain reactions that could damage cells.

The term is generally classified into two categories:
Industrial Chemicals
(added to prevent oxidation, also known as spoilage)
and
Natural Chemicals
(found in foods and body tissue and are said to have beneficial health effects)

SO, WHAT ARE THEY USED FOR?

Food preservation: Antioxidants are added to many foods to guard against spoilage and food deterioration as well as unpleasant flavors or unappealing colors.

ARE THERE NATURAL AND CLEAN LABEL ANTIOXIDANTS?

Why yes, yes there are.

Several common natural antioxidants include:
ascorbic acid, tocopherols, and rosemary extract.

WHERE IS THE INDUSTRY GOING?

Several industrial chemicals commonly found in food are propyl gallate, tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Companies like Whole Foods and Panera Bread have banned BHT and BHA from products they sell or make. Many manufacturers are looking for clean label alternatives to traditional industrial chemical additives.

Have any questions? Contact your JRW Regional Sales Manager today!