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.

中文翻译：

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酵母衍生的植物酚类乳液，作为新型，天然和可持续的食品防腐剂

食品防腐剂普遍用于延长制成食品的货架期。当前的合成防腐剂对健康的益处微不足道，而更健康的替代品（例如植物提取物）则受到不可持续的生产方式的阻碍。在这里，我们通过可持续食品技术的组合开发了一种天然的，功能性的食品防腐剂：设计用于生产天然植物化合物的食品级酵母，以及从乳清和果胶中得到增效作用的乳化剂。酵母酚提取物（N2）的化学成分分析显示，柚皮素，毛绿素，绿原酸和p-香豆酸是目前存在的主要植物酚类化合物，几乎没有痕量的生物分子污染。与抗微生物试验中的商用防腐剂相比，N2具有更好的抗菌和抗真菌活性。与乳清蛋白-果胶共轭乳剂配合使用时，N2成功延长了新鲜苹果汁的保质期。我们的结果为促进健康的防腐剂以及类似可持续设计的食品成分在实际食品中的应用铺平了道路。