Creator, Grow Green Industries, and ingredient supplier and marketer, P.L. Thomas and Co., will launch the all-natural food safety and shelf-life enhancing products at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo (IFT 12) in June.
The products, available in liquid or powder form, offer a label with more clarity, no detrimental effect on taste and are cost effective, according to its developers, but a spokesperson said that the length of shelf life achieved depended on the formulation and system.
EatSafe Natural Food Wash and eatFresh Natural Antimicrobial are alternatives to chemically based food sanitizers and preservatives aimed at improving the shelf life of fresh produce, poultry and processed foods.
The food wash can be sprayed onto food by processors and the antimicrobial is added to ingredients.
Years of research
The patent pending products are the result of years of research into effective end-to-end alternatives to chemically based food sanitizers and preservatives.
Mareya Ibrahim, founder and CEO of Grow Green Industries, said the drive behind the creation was a desire to address the food safety issue in a natural and sustainable way.
“[We] felt that an all-natural solution that avoided potentially harmful chemicals was a natural extension of that drive.
"We know that any solution - to be really viable - had to take into consideration people's desire for great-looking, better-tasting food that stays that way for a long time.”
The food wash is a 7-part synergistic complex of organic, FDA-approved generally recognised as safe (GRAS) components designed for food processing operations to ensure that products are free from foodborne pathogens.
Tests at the Institute for Food Safety and Health at the Illinois Institute of Technology showed that the food wash removed up to 99.999% (5-log) of bacteria, including Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and coliform bacteria from the surface of produce, according to the company.
The antimicrobial is a 5-part mixture of organic, FDA-approved GRAS components designed to protect prepared and processed foods by combining antimicrobial control of bacteria, yeast and mould growth with antioxidant properties.
More effective than current methods
Grow Green Industries said testing on the ingredients had showed eatFresh Natural Antimicrobial in dip, sauce and soup applications proved a more effective shelf-life enhancer than sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.
Paul M. Flowerman, president of P.L. Thomas, said the products could open up opportunities for consumer product development and can reduce overall costs for all-natural foods and beverages.
"The all-natural and clean label movements are among the hottest on the consumer scene right now - ranking above such stalwarts as reduced fat or sugar. Industry surveys show that 70% of consumers are interested in products that offer natural preservatives.”