Natural preservatives vs. artificial preservatives

Aim:  To increase the awareness towards the health risks of the usage of artificial preservatives and to inform about the advantages of natural preservatives. Materials and methods:  Systematic approach of the available scientific literature on the problem. Results:  Preservatives prolong the shelf-life of food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals by preventing their spoilage caused by microbial growth and unwanted chemical reactions. Nowadays the artificial preservatives - nitrites, nitrates and benzoats (parabens) that possess antimicrobial activity, are widely used. They destroy or inhibit the growth of bacteria, molds and yeasts in the products. Some of them are toxic; some even have life-threatening effects. The recent investigations show that big part of the artificial preservatives such as nitrates, benzoates, sulphates,p arabens etc. can cause serious health hazards - from headaches and diarrhea to hypersensitivity reactions, asthma attacks, neurological disorders and cancer. Therefore people are looking towards the nature in search of natural preservatives. Conclusions:  The recent investigations recommend the use of natural preservatives as safer to human health.