Natamycin (pimaricin, tennectin) Sources Natamycin is a natural antimicrobial produced by Streptomycetes bacteria found in soil worldwide.

Producing organisms are typified by Streptomyces natalensis, from Natal, South Africa, where it was isolated in 1955. Commercial preparations are made by the controlled fermentation of dextrosebased media by selected Streptomycete strains. Dried natamycin recovered from
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the fermentation broth is white to cream-coloured, has little or no odour or taste, and in the crystalline form is very stable. Solubility in water and most organic solvents is low. Function in Food Natamycin is used as a food preservative. It shows strong activity against yeasts and moulds, but shows no activity against bacteria or viruses. Its effect is predominantly fungicidal. Benefits Natamycin is used as a preservative in foods, usually as a surface treatment to prevent the growth of yeasts and moulds. Its low solubility makes it very effective for the surface treatment of foods as it will remain on the surface, and therefore be active at the site where most yeasts and moulds will occur. Natamycin does not interact with other food ingredients, and imparts no offflavours to food. It is accepted that natamycin is only poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Since it is fat- and water-insoluble, the majority of ingested natamycin will be excreted in the faeces. There are no reported allergic reactions to natamycin in food and the product has GRAS (generally recognised as safe) status in the U.S. Limitations The ADI of natamycin is 0.25-0.3 mg/kg of body weight/day. Typical usage levels are 2.5 to 8 mg/kg food, primarily as a surface treatment at levels not to exceed 10 g/cm2. Under Directive 95/2/EC, natamycin is permitted in Part C of Annex III for a limited number of uses. Typical Applications Natamycin is used as a surface application in cheese coatings, and on dried, cured sausages. E239 Hexamethylene tetramine Sources Hexamethylene tetramine is made by reacting formaldehyde with ammonia. The product is then purified.
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Essential Guide to Food Additives

Function in Food Hexamethylene tetramine is a preservative, which works by releasing formaldehyde in acid conditions. The formaldehyde prevents late blowing in hard cheese by inhibiting the growth of the bacteria that cause this defect. Limitations Hexamethylene tetramine has a slightly sweet taste with a bitter aftertaste. Under part C to Annex III of Directive 95/2/EC, hexamethylene tetramine is permitted only in Provolone, an Italian hard cheese, to a maximum residual amount of 25 mg/kg, measured as formaldehyde. E242 Dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC) Sources

Dimethyl dicarbonate is not naturally occurring. It is manufactured through chemical synthesis with specially designed extraction and distillation steps to obtain the required purity. Function in Food DMDC is used for the cold sterilisation of beverages. Benefits Even at very low concentrations, DMDC is very effective against typical beverage-spoiling microorganisms, such as fermentative yeasts, mycoderma and fermentative bacteria. At higher concentrations, it destroys a large number of bacteria, wild yeasts and mould. Shortly after DMDC has been added to the beverage, it breaks down completely by hydrolysis into minute amounts of microbiologically inactive products. Sensory tests, and many years of experience have shown that DMDC does not influence the taste, colour or odour of beverages. Limitations DMDC is permitted in the EU under Annex III part C of Directive 95/2/EC for use in non-alcoholic flavoured drinks, alcohol-free wine and liquidtea concentrate, and in the USA, also in wines and their low-alcohol and dealcoholised counterparts.
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As the beverage temperature has a major impact on the hydrolysis rate, the beverage should be cooled down to not more than 20 C, or preferably, below that. This will slow down the decomposition of DMDC, thus prolonging its antimicrobial action. Low temperatures, therefore, support the efficacy of DMDC and its economical use. Typical Products Non-alcoholic flavoured drinks, carbonated and non-carbonated juice beverages, ready-to-drink tea beverages, drinks enriched with vitamins, isotonic sport drinks, nutraceutical beverages and juice concentrates.