Abstract

Consumers’ preference on the food market has shifted from food safeguarded with artificial preservatives to that safeguarded with antimicrobial and antioxidant preservatives derived from natural sources. This is why there is a growing interest among researchers in the food and beverage industry to explore natural antimicrobial and antioxidant preservatives as an alternative to artificial preservatives. The present investigation is, therefore, aimed at synthesising the current outcomes that have achieved success in safeguarding spoilage and growth of spoilage microbes on foodstuffs. The present study used a literature review–based approach in which peer‐reviewed published papers on ‘antimicrobials and antioxidants from agri‐food wastes’ were accessed from ScienceDirect, PubMed, Google Scholar, PLOS, SciFinder and Web of Science databases. The findings from the papers on the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of different agrifood wastes such as Citrus limon peel, Allium cepa peel, Malus domestica seeds, Daucus carota peels, Beta vulgaris peel, citrus fruit peel, Musa acuminate peels and Vitis vinifera waste extracts on meat, milk and baked products were systematically reviewed. The literature revealed that natural antioxidants resulted in a reduction in the oxidative processes in tested meat, milk and baked products. Similarly, the natural antimicrobials resulted in inhibition of the spoilage microbe growth, thereby extending the shelf life of various foods. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the agrifood waste extracts were attributed to the existence of phytochemical compounds such as phenolic acids, gallic acid, vanillic acid and flavonols. The literature has shown that bioactive compounds in agrifood waste are suitable natural antimicrobials and antioxidants and demonstrated the increase in the shelf life of food products.

Original language	en
Volume	2025
Issue number	1
Publication status	Published - 2025