Yeast-Derived Plant Phenolic Emulsions as Novel, Natural, and Sustainable Food Preservatives

Food preservatives are ubiquitously used to increase the shelf
life of manufactured foods. Current synthetic preservatives offer
negligible health benefits, while healthier alternatives such as botanical
extracts are hindered by unsustainable production means. Here, we
developed a natural, functional food preservative via a combination
of sustainable food technologies: food-grade yeast engineered to produce
natural plant compounds combined with emulsifiers valorized from milk
whey and fruit pectin. Chemical compositional analysis of the yeast
phenolic extract (N2) revealed naringenin, phloretin, phloretic acid,
and p-coumaric acid as the key plant phenolic compounds
present, with negligible traces of biomolecular contamination. N2
demonstrated improved antibacterial and antifungal activities compared
to those of commercial preservatives in antimicrobial assays. When
used in tandem with whey protein–pectin conjugate emulgents,
N2 successfully extended the shelf life of fresh apple juice. Our
results pave the way toward health-promoting preservatives as well
as real food applications for similarly sustainably engineered food
ingredients.