| abstract |
Methods and compositions for extending the shelf life of food products and, simultaneously, retaining a non-acidic taste in the final food product are disclosed. For the cosmetic industry, the invention also provides methods and compositions for addressing the significant problem of bacterial contamination in, for example, products such as lipsticks, facial cleansers and base makeup. The composition of the invention is a liquid preservative formulation that includes a antimicrobial agent, preferably a food grade antimicrobial agent, and an amount of glucono-1, 5-lactone (GdL) effective to counteract the basic pH range buffering effect (normally pH 10-11) of the antimicrobials and maintain the pH of the liquid preservative below 7.0. |