Consumer concerns play a critical role in dictating the direction of research and development in food protection. The rising demand for minimally processed foods, growing concerns about the use of synthetic preservatives, and suspected links between the overuse of antibiotics and multi-drug resistance in microbes has made food safety a global priority.

Natural Food Antimicrobial Systems focuses on advances in the technology of food safety. Numerous antimicrobial agents exist in animals and plants where they evolved as defense mechanisms. For example, the antimicrobial components of milk have been unraveled in recent years. The book covers how these components - such as lactoferrin - can be used as multifunctional food additives such as antioxidants and immuno-modulating agents.

The six sections cover lacto-antimicrobials, ovo-antimicrobials, phyto-antimicrobials, bacto-antimicrobials, acid-antimicrobials, and milieu-antimicrobials. Each chapter provides background and historical information, molecular properties, antimicrobial activity, biological advantage, applications, safety, tolerance, and efficacy, and biotechnology.

To satisfy the rapidly changing consumption patterns of the global market, the food processing industry continuously searches for new technologies in food science. Designed as a reference for academia and corporate R & D, Natural Food Antimicrobial Systems fills this need, offering in-depth information on emerging biotechnology, efficacy, and applications of natural food antimicrobial systems.