The Thai Food and Drug administration (FDA) has recently granted regulatory approval to two MicroGARD fermentates from DuPont’s Danisco portfolio – MicroGARD 100 and MicroGARD 200, which provide natural solutions to shelf-life extension and benefit health-conscious consumers.
MicroGARD, which was developed decades ago and celebrated its 35th anniversary last year, has a long safe history of use in food and is often used as a food protection ingredient by maintaining product quality and reducing premature spoilage, hence improving profitability for food manufacturers. Both fermentates inhibit gram negative bacteria, and certain yeasts and molds across a wide range of food products such as dairy, culinary and bakery applications.
“It is very important to maintain the sensory attributes such as taste and flavour, and freshness of industrialised food products throughout distribution and shelf-life. Many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) resort to using synthetic preservatives and often do not comply with food standards,” said Sittideth Sriprateth, sales leader, Thailand & Myanmar, DuPont Nutrition and Health.
“The use of synthetic preservatives is very prevalent in South-East Asia, MicroGARD provides an innovative and effective way to partially or fully replace synthetic preservatives, creating new opportunities for food manufacturers,” he added.
Thailand has a well-developed food processing sector and exports many of its dairy and bakery products to overseas markets. This approval means consumers can be assured of better, fresher and safer food products for consumption.
Cyndy Au, regional director, regulatory and scientific affairs, Asia Pacific, said, “In South-East Asia, there is no harmonisation of food standards that manufacturers can refer to. The attempt to register for MicroGARD in Thailand started in 2014 and was only accepted for registration in 2017.”
“As MicroGARD is a unique innovation and not listed in the Codex International food regulations framework, we had to work very closely with the relevant authorities to adhere to the extensive stringent reviews,” she added.
Au said, “We are really proud of this significant accomplishment. The approval of MicroGARD is a huge milestone for Thailand and the rest of South-East Asia because policy makers in this region often confer with one another when making decisions.”
