Preservatives are widely used by manufacturers to inhibit microbial growth and as antioxidants in order to prolong shelf-life.

There is strong market demand for new, natural preservatives driven by the need to  replace synthetic, artificial preservatives with effective, natural sourced alternatives to create healthier products with "clean labels" and, in food applications, to replace sodium chloride to enable further reductions in the salt content of processed foods. 

Harnessing the rich evolutionary legacy of its collection, Aquapharm's Oceanx group has identified a significant number of natural marine products with antimicrobial properties and is investigating their utility as novel food, beverage and cosmetic preservative ingredients. 

Aquapharm's marine microbe collection is a particularly promising source of candidate compounds as the secretion of anti-bacterial and anti-fungal bio-actives is the primary means through which these micro-organisms try to exert a selective evolutionary advantage over their competitors. Additionally, production of these preservatives is possible via traditional fermentation; an approach that will enable Oceanx to supply these innovative products to its customers using a truly natural, sustainable and scalable approach.