Natamycin   or pimaricin (food supplement E235) is a strain produced during the fermentation by Streptomyces natalensis bacteria. Additive E235 is slightly soluble in alcohol and water. but natamycin   It is quite effective at very low concentrations. By it's nature, natamycin   is a natural antifungal agent and is used in the food industry as an additive preservative E235.

Supplement E235 is non-toxic, but at high concentrations (more than 500 mg / kg body weight) can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Being an antibiotic, the additive E235 is added to food in strictly limited quantities due to the properties of antibiotics to kill not only harmful fungi and bacteria, but also microorganisms involved in the vital processes of the human body.
  For decades, the preservative E235 has been used in the food industry to prevent the development of fungi in dairy products, meat and other food products. Additive E235 can also be used in confectionery: cakes, pastries, biscuits. In addition, the additive E235 is used in the manufacture of cheeses, as its shell. As a result of surface treatment (irrigation of the surface or immersion in a solution of the finished product), the preservative E235 remains strictly on the surface of the cheese. Some countries may use natamycinand for the surface treatment of sausages.

Natamycin E235   protects food from mold, such as cheeses, sausages, wines, baked goods and more. Natamycin

The main field of application of natural preservatives Natamycin   is the production and processing of cheese and sausages. It can be used in the processing of dairy and sour-milk products, processed cheeses, confectionery, fish products and other products susceptible to mold and yeast. In this case, the actual dosage depends on the type of product, the expected microbial load, temperature factors and the desired shelf life and storage conditions.

Natural antibiotic Natamycin   actively used in the manufacture of all kinds of yoghurts, and in bakery products. It can be added to quick-frozen lobsters, fish pastes, fish raw materials and caviar. Also Natamycin you can treat the surface of fish products to extend shelf life and protect them from mold.

Natamycin   It is an ideal preservative not only due to its antifungal properties. When adding Natamycin   the appearance of bitterness and any taste is excluded. Even at very low concentrations (approximately 20-40 g per 200 liters of water), this solution is enough to treat the shell, which is enough to produce 6 tons of products. By itself Natamycin   represents colorless crystals that are difficult to dissolve in water (0.01) and methanol (0.2) and insoluble in higher alcohols, ether and dioxane.

Natamycin   E235 protects against moldy foods such as cheeses, sausages, wines, bakery products and more. Natamycin   reduces the cost of antibacterial processing of products.

Natamycin or Pimaricin

Natamycin   (food supplement E-235) - the strain obtained from the culture fluid Streptomyces natalensis is slightly soluble in alcohol and water.

Additive E-235   non-toxic, but at high concentrations (more than-500 mg / kg body weight) can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Being an antibiotic supplement E-235   It is added to food in strictly limited quantities due to the properties of antibiotics to kill not only harmful fungi and bacteria, but also microorganisms involved in the processes of the human body.

It is widely used in medicine as a polyene antibiotic of the macrolide group for the treatment of fungal diseases of the skin, mucous membranes, and the gastrointestinal tract. It is almost not absorbed from the surface of the skin, mucous membranes and from the gastrointestinal tract. It is widely used in the treatment of otitis externa; candidiasis of the skin and nails; dermatomycosis; intestinal candidiasis; fungal diseases of the oral cavity, such as acute pseudomembranous and acute atrophic candidiasis in patients with cachexia and immune deficiency, and other diseases caused by pathogenic yeast. From this substance tablets, suspensions, creams, and candles are made. Natamycin   non-toxic, but can sometimes cause nausea and diarrhea.

In the food industry it is used as a preservative, for example, in the manufacture of cheeses, as its shell. Being an antibiotic, it is added in a strictly limited amount, and for the most part, due to poor solubility in water, it remains strictly on the surface of the cheese. In many countries, its use in the food industry is strictly prohibited.

For decades, a preservative E-235 used in the food industry to prevent the development of fungi in dairy products, meat and other food products. Additive E-235   can also be used in confectionery: cakes, pastries, biscuits. In addition, the supplement E-235   used in the manufacture of cheeses (shell). As a result of surface treatment (surface irrigation or immersion in a solution of the finished product), preservative E-235   stays strictly on the surface of the cheese. Some countries allow the use of natamycin for the surface treatment of sausages.

The fame of nisin, as the safest and most natural preservative, began with the fact that the English scientist Hirsch in 1951 proved that this drug prevents the development of clostridial spores that affect the formation of gas in cheese. Nisin is still used as an indispensable tool to combat the bloating of hard cheese. In addition, it is used to combat clostridia, causing the appearance of so-called white rot or mold on processed cheeses. Extends the shelf life of other dairy products.

Adding the drug in an amount of 50 mg / kg before pasteurization ensures that milk and milk drinks with flavors, even at room temperature, do not deteriorate from two to six days.

And if you add 100-250 mg / kg of nisin to processed cheese or products made from it, then the shelf life will increase by as much as six months!

Also, in the production of processed cheese, nisin is recommended to be used to protect against the possibility of expansion with a high concentration of oil-acid bacteria in the raw material.

Nisin is added to the processed cheese at the rate of 1.5 g per 10 kg of the finished product (150 u / g). The calculated amount of nisin preparation is applied in dry form directly to the mixture before melting or with dry ingredients (cream, milk, whey), after thoroughly mixing.

Another useful feature of nisin for the dairy industry is the fact that a natural preservative works wonderfully against bacteria resistant to high temperatures.

Therefore, heat treatment can be carried out more gently, spending less time on it, and at lower temperatures.

Just 100 mg of nisin per kilogram of condensed milk completely prevents the growth of typical spore-forming bacteria and reduces the processing time by about 10 minutes.

It will help a natural antibiotic to reduce the heat treatment time for milk desserts, including cereals, sugar, cream or whole milk, and even less will be needed than for condensed milk: only 50 mg per kilogram of dessert.

If without nisin, the heat treatment time of milk chocolate was almost 10 minutes, then with nisin it decreases to a maximum of 3 minutes.

Recall that the permitted dosages of nisin are 150-600 grams per ton of finished products for processed and other cheeses, and 10-150 grams per ton of finished products for other dairy products.

Processed cheeses (not canned). Nisin is most effectively used in the production of processed cheese with a high moisture content, low fat content, reduced salt content and the use of flavoring additives such as onions, mushrooms, herbs, ham, bacon, shrimp.

Pasteurized milk. Even low concentrations of nisin in pasteurized milk give a significant reduction in the number of bacteria. At the same time, pasteurized milk with the addition of nisin in an amount of 10-20 mg / l (10-20 g / ton) increased its shelf life.

Compared to regular milk, chocolate milk is more susceptible to losses due to the additional amount of bacteria introduced with cocoa powder, sugar, and milk powder. The use of nisin in this case is especially effective.

Dairy desserts, creams, puddings in closed containers. Nisin is most effective for products in portioned packaging, as well as products sold without the use of refrigerators.

Kefir, yogurt, sour cream. The level of use of Nisin in kefir, yogurt and sour cream can be 10-50 mg / l (10-50g / ton) depending on the quality of the raw materials and production conditions. It should be borne in mind that Nisin inhibits the increase in acidity in lactic acid products (which is a positive factor - protection from bombing), therefore it is better to add it after the end of the fermentation process.

Hard cheeses. Natamycin can be used to suppress the formation of mold and, therefore, toxins in mature cheeses. Natamycin can only be applied to the surface of cheeses. Its advantage is that it inhibits the formation of mold on the surface and does not affect the ripening process of cheese. There are three methods of using Natamycin:

1. spraying a suspension of Natamycin in a concentration of 0.05% --- 0.28% on the surface of the cheese.

2. immersion of salted cheese in a suspension of Natamycin at a concentration of 0.05 --- 0.28% for 2 to 4 minutes.

3. adding 0.05% Natamycin to the cheese shell.

The use of the anti-mold preparation Natamycin can increase the yield of cheese by at least 20%, reduce labor costs at the ripening stage by 20-30%, save packaging material and, which is especially important in the conditions of market competition, improve the presentation and quality of the product.

Dosages that are used by other enterprises that we buy.

· Processed and other cheeses - 150 ... 600 g. Lowland per ton of finished products;

· Canned vegetables and fruits - 100 ... 200 g of nisin per ton of finished products;

· Dairy products - 10 ... 150 g (nisin, natamycin) per ton of finished product;

· Sauces - 50 ... 200 g of nisin per ton of finished products;

· In the baking industry - 25 ... 40 g of nisin or natamycin per 1000 kg of flour;

· In brewing - 50 ... 100 mg of nisin per liter of the finished product.

· Canned meat and fish - 50-200 g of nisin per ton of finished products.

· 50g biscuits. natamycin on t. flour.

· Cream, fillings - 50 - 200g. natamycin per ton of finished products.

· If at the beginning of the preparation cycle of a confectionery product (with a high moisture content in the finished product (with a filling), that is, it grows moldy without the use of vacuum packaging), add natamycin to flour 100-200 g per ton, the shelf life will increase to 6 months.

· If a confectionery product with a normal moisture content, or fatty fillings of sweets, soufflés, etc., then 25 - 50g. natamycin per ton.

The ratio of the concentration of Natamycin and dosage:

Natamycin Dosages and Dosage Levels

Areas of application Nisin and dosage levels

* The rate of introduction of Nisin in food products is determined by the quality of raw materials and production conditions.

Natamycin (international name - natamycin) is an antifungal drug and preservative of natural origin. Other common names for natamycin are pimaricin and delvocide. In the generally accepted classification of food additives, this preservative has an index of E235.

In its chemical structure, natamycin is an antibiotic that prevents the development of yeast and yeast-like fungi. The main field of application of natamycin in the food industry is the protection against moldy sausages and cheeses.

Benefits of Natamycin

The main advantages of natamycin, which distinguishes it from other antifungal preservatives:

• high efficiency: natamycin inhibits yeast and mold in food;
• low cost: the use of the additive E235 practically does not affect the final price of the product, and even taking into account the cost reduction, it can even be reduced!
• natural origin: thanks to natamycin, it is possible to refuse the use of artificial preservatives;
• lack of taste and smell: natamycin allows you to save all the original characteristics of the product;
• positive effect on the appearance of the goods: products treated with natamycin look clean;
• due to its properties, food supplement E235 does not interfere with the ripening of cheeses and sausages.

The use of natamycin

When using natamycin, it should be borne in mind that it is effective against a variety of fungi, but does not act against bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. As a result, E235 is used exclusively for external food processing by spraying or immersion in a solution. In this case, it is possible to process the finished product as a whole, or separately, the shell by soaking.

An important advantage of the preservative: it practically does not penetrate into the product, remaining only on the surface!

Natamycin safety

Modern studies show that natamycin does not have a toxic or carcinogenic effect and, subject to the allowable dosages, is completely safe.

Nevertheless, being an antibiotic, natamycin can infect both harmful fungi and organisms useful for intestinal microflora. In this regard, natamycin is used exclusively for processing the external surface of the product, and its content in the substance is limited.

MINSK, Mar 3 - Sputnik. The Rosselkhoznadzor may introduce a ban on the import of cheeses of two Belarusian milk processing enterprises, the newspaper Izvestia reports with reference to the press service of the department.

Earlier, the Rosselkhoznadzor introduced a tightened control regime for nine Belarusian enterprises of both meat and dairy products. In particular, milk processing enterprises were accused of using an undeclared natamycin preservative in the production of cheese. In some products where this preservative was declared, its concentration exceeded the permitted parameters.

According to Yulia Melano, spokeswoman for the Rosselkhoznadzor, the Belarus-based Oshmyany cheese-making plant (a branch of the Lida milk-canning plant OJSC) and the cheese production branch of Rogachevsky MKK OJSC are just a step away from the ban on the import of products.

“If violations are detected at least once in the enhanced control regime, we will raise the issue of banning supplies from these enterprises. Or ask the Belarusian side to introduce self-restraint,” Melano said.

What violations are we talking about?

In February, the Rosselkhoznadzor took nine Belarusian enterprises under tight control. From the "milkmen" four plants came under strict supervision:

• Molodechno Dairy Plant, Volozhin branch (undeclared preservative natamycin in cheese)
• Lida milk canning factory (undeclared preservative natamycin in cheese, three cases)
• Rogachevsky MKK, cheese production branch (excess of the amount of preservative natamycin in cheese, three cases)
• OJSC "Grandma's Krynka" (excess of the amount of preservative natamycin in cheese).

The Rosselkhoznadzor had previously complained about Belarusian meat and milk, however, Minsk always answered that it was a counterfeit product manufactured in the Russian Federation or in other countries and imported into Russia under the guise of Belarusian.

Meanwhile, at the end of February, answering a question from the Russian media about the reasons for the introduction of strict supervision, the head of the Rosselkhoznadzor Sergey Dankvert emphasized that all detected pathogenic microorganisms and bacteria, as well as not declared antibiotics and preservatives, were found in Belarusian products, we are talking about counterfeit here not coming. Dankvert explained that the samples were taken from products that were transported in trucks with Belarusian numbers directly at the border, so the department does not doubt its origin.

What is natamycin?

Natamycin is a food preservative, it is designated as E235. Its useful properties, as well as harm, were scientifically proven and justified as a result of a number of studies, experiments and laboratory experiments. For this reason, the food preservative E235 Natamycin (pimaricin) was assigned the status of "dangerous" (in large quantities) for human life and health nutritional supplement. However, at present, the food preservative E235 Natamycin (pimaricin) continues to be used in the process of food production in the countries of the European Union, the USA, Japan, Canada, Asia, as well as in the Russian Federation and in neighboring countries.

Given the possible negative consequences of the use of natamycin, doctors established its maximum permissible content standards in food. It is believed that the body of an adult and a healthy person can easily transfer up to 0.3 mg / kg of body weight.

Unlike many other E235 food preservatives, Natamycin (pimaricin) does not have a toxic or carcinogenic effect. However, the biologically active substance natamycin or pimaricin, which is part of the chemical composition of the food preservative E235 Natamycin (pimaricin), has such powerful antibacterial capabilities that it destroys not only pathogenic, but also beneficial bacteria and microorganisms.

Most often, the food preservative E235 Natamycin (pimaricin) is used in the manufacturing process of meat products and semi-finished products, dairy products, as well as sweets and confectionery.

In the food industry, including in the production of cheese, it is used in order to prevent mold on the surface of the cheese due to inappropriate storage conditions.

Meanwhile, doctors say that natamycin is also an antibiotic. In their opinion, the unreasonable use of natamycin can provoke a person's appearance of resistance to this antibiotic, and in the future, if a person develops a disease that requires treatment with antibacterial drugs, it will be necessary to select other, more "difficult" drugs.