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History of Food Preservatives
Preservatives such as antioxidants help to prevent oxidation which often causes fruit to deteriorate, making it unappealing to those who would eat it. Oxidation allowed for the development of many preservatives. we have found that there are some methods of preservation (such as naturally occurring antimicrobials biomolecules ) that we could utilize to keep food stores fresh for longer periods of time.

Historical Use of Natural Preservatives
Natural preservatives have long been used in the food and drink markets, long before artificial preservatives were created. “The drying of fish, fruits, and meats, either in the sun or by artificial heat, has been known and utilized for centuries; probably the use of salt is nearly, if not quite, as old. The use of sugar either with or without the addition of vinegar and various spices is but another old family contrivance.”

Usage Today
As the years have progressed we have found more and more preservatives to help keep our food fresh as it travels from place to place or for food security. Some of the more common of these being caffeine, saccharin, sorbic acid and its salts, benzoic acid and its salts, parabens, and salicylic acid. These are often used in soft drinks, low fat spreads, cheese, dressings, and dried fruit preparations. When it comes to alcohol fermentation (yeast growth) or the growth of mold on food, there are now a number of artificial preservatives that can help to prevent the growth of harmful substances or the deterioration of the food.

Experimentation with Food Preservatives
Several studies have been done on food preservatives, both on proving its effectiveness in maintaining our health and its role in deteriorating our health. Amongst them, the lantibiotic nisin has been noted as an effective tool for preventing food-borne pathogens over the course of 40 years. Particularly for the Bacillus series, nisin is shown to inhibit spore growth by preventing its energy production and membrane potential, thus keeping them from germinating. On the other hand, the nisin does not prove to effect the discontinuation of the outer spore structures. Alongside this, the Center for Veterinary Medicine of the US Food and Drug Administration has recently pinpointed an application of nisin against other varying bacteria. The experiment included the structure of a lantibiotic termed geobacillin I, produced heterologously in Escherichia coli (E.Coli) with its ring topology specified by NMR spectroscopy. This compound proved to be more active than nisin by a threefold increase, specifically against Streptococcus dysgalactiae.

On the other side of the spectrum, two common food preservatives—sodium sulphite (SS) and sodium benzoate (SB)—has been linked to an increased chance for obesity and, by extension, the activation of low-grade inflammation. The role in SS and SB in this is the contribution to the increase of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which initiates and maintains a chronic state of pro-inflammatory pathways within the central nervous system. This is parallel to another study published in BMC medicine associates, where unprocessed red meat was linked to a higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) versus processed red meat. With over ten European countries altogether involving 228,568 participants, those who consumed unprocessed red meat was not associated with CVD on a significant level, but 30% of those who consumed processed meat were found to have a 95% higher interval risk for CVD.

Preservatives in Food
Synthetic preservatives, or artificial preservatives, are food additives used to prevent unwanted bacteria from growing, preserve lipid components from deterioation in quality, and to increase the shelf life of food. There are many types of artificial preservatives such as benzoate, tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) (E319), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) (E320), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (E321), propyl gallate (PG), trans fat, hexamine, potassium nitrite and sodium nitrite. BHA, BHT, PG andTBHQ are all considered synthetic antioxidants.

Potassium Nitrite and Sodium Nitrite
Potassium nitrite and sodium nitrite are both primarily used when preserving meats, or cured meats. These two artificial food additives are used as preservatives, stabilizers, and flavor additives. Health concerns about potassium nitrite and sodium nitrite have been questioned. The use of nitrites in meat may lead to formation of nitro­ samines which are carcinogenic substances. Yet, as food preservatives these two additives have protected against bacterium clostridium botulinum, which is commonly referred to as botulism.

Gallates
The gallates consist of propyl gallate (E310 and Internal Ref. #00105), octyl gallate (E311 and Internal Ref. #00108 ), and dodecyl gallate (E312 and Internal Ref. #00109 ). Propyl gallate is one of the most widely used phenolic antioxidants in food that contains dehydrated foodstuffs edible fat and oils. It is primarily used as a browning inhibitor and to prevent oxidation in food.

Uses in Silage Fermentation
Silage is grass or other green fodder compacted and stored in airtight conditions, typically in a silo, without first being dried, and used as animal feed in the winter. When preserving animal food, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate are used to inhibit the formation of bacteria, yeasts and molds. In addition the power of sodium nitrite has been tested with hexamine, sodium benzoate, and sodium propionate. Sodium nitrite with potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate have been used to aid in silage fermentation. Concerns about the safety of hexamine-nitrite mixtures in regards to human and animal health have arisen. In acidic situations hexamin breaks down to form ammonia and formaldehyde. Hexamine is not an approved preservative for usage in the USA, Australia, or New Zealand, but it is approved, and used, as a food preservative in the European Union.