Consumer awareness on the side effects of chemical preservatives has increased the demand for natural preservation technologies. An efficient and sustainable alternative to current conventional preservation techniques should guarantee food safety and retain its quality with minimal side effects. Photosensitization, utilizing light and a natural photosensitizer, has been postulated as a viable and green alternative to the current conventional preservation techniques. The potential of curcumin as a natural photosensitizer is reviewed in this paper as a practical guide to develop a safe and effective decontamination tool for industrial use. The fundamentals of the photosensitization mechanism are discussed, with the main emphasis on the natural photosensitizer, curcumin, and its application to inactivate microorganisms as well as to enhance the shelf life of foods. Photosensitization has shown promising results in inactivating a wide spectrum of microorganisms with no reported microbial resistance due to its particular lethal mode of targeting nucleic acids. Curcumin as a natural photosensitizer has recently been investigated and demonstrated efficacy in decontamination and delaying spoilage. Moreover, studies have shown the beneficial impact of an appropriate encapsulation technique to enhance the cellular uptake of photosensitizers, and therefore, the phototoxicity. Further studies relating to improved delivery of natural photosensitizers with inherent poor solubility should be conducted. Also, detailed studies on various food products are warranted to better understand the impact of encapsulation on curcumin photophysical properties, photo‐driven release mechanism, and nutritional and organoleptic properties of treated foods.

中文翻译：

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深入了解基于姜黄素的光敏化作为一种​​有前途的绿色食品保鲜技术

消费者对化学防腐剂副作用的认识增加了对天然防腐技术的需求。一种有效且可持续的替代当前传统保存技术的方法应能保证食品安全并保持其质量，同时将副作用降至最低。利用光和天然光敏剂的光敏化已被假定为当前传统保存技术的可行且绿色的替代方案。本文综述了姜黄素作为天然光敏剂的潜力，作为开发安全有效的工业去污工具的实用指南。讨论了光敏化机制的基本原理，主要强调了天然光敏剂姜黄素、及其在灭活微生物和延长食品保质期方面的应用。由于其靶向核酸的特定致死模式，光敏化在灭活广谱微生物方面显示出有希望的结果，没有报道微生物抗性。最近研究了姜黄素作为一种天然光敏剂，并证明了其在去污和延缓腐败方面的功效。此外，研究表明，适当的封装技术可以增强光敏剂的细胞吸收，从而增强光毒性。应该进行与改善天然光敏剂的固有溶解性差的递送有关的进一步研究。还，