Unlock the future of food safety with Provian

There are numerous benefits to Provian as a preservative for processed food, with advantages to the operational and functional aspects of production, such as high-performance food preservation, low dosage requirements and proven shelf-life extension. There are several product-level benefits as well, with clean label and sodium-free options available in Provian NDV and Provian K. Additionally, all Provian products are vegan-friendly and halal and kosher certified.

Technical benefits

When exposed to acetates, pathogens, such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria show a strong inhibition of their growth for extended periods of time. Provian preservatives are acetate-based, meaning they are produced as an organic salt from acetic acid. As a soluble powder, Provian is absorbed into the water phase of a food product.  Every food type (even dry foods) has a certain water phase, which is needed for microbial growth, making Provian valuable in any type of food. The working mechanism of Provian is based on the disruption of functional cycles of microorganisms, causing them to expend energy and therefore preventing growth. This is what causes Provian to be highly effective for food preservation, which in turn keeps food – and consumers – safe.

Due to the high efficacy of acetate-based preservatives, bacterial growth is inhibited for extended periods of time, meaning food is kept safe for longer. This not only prevents the growth of pathogens, but also lactic acid bacteria – a group of bacteria related to food spoilage. When Provian is used, it extends shelf life by reducing the growth of microbial spoilers and increases safety by inhibiting the growth of pathogens during this extended period. This therefore not only ensures the safety and durability of these foods but also leads to a reduction of food waste.

All Provian products require a low dosage due to their proven high efficacy. Provian preservatives are designed to not only be high quality food safety ingredients, but are also produced as a 100% pure, dry powder, without the extra hassle involved with a liquid solution by making it easier to transport and store. This reduces both formulation and operational costs, as well as environmental impact.

Product benefits

Plant-based alternatives and vegan products are seeing a boom in growth at the moment and preservatives are required that can adhere to this trend. As they are produced entirely from organic acids and a base, all Provian products are vegan-friendly. Though all of the portfolio can be used in vegan products, Provian Plus, a clean label preservative, was specifically designed with added calcium to improve texture and is perfect for meat alternatives.

Globally, there is a drive to reduce the amount of salt in the population’s diet, which can be difficult as many preservatives contain sodium. Provian K is made of potassium-based acetates, meaning it contains no sodium, and as the most effective preservative in the Provian range, it is an ideal food safety ingredient. Additionally, Provian NDV and Plus also do not contain sodium, as they are potassium-based, produced using naturally fermented vinegar. While some products in the Provian range do contain sodium, they are able to reduce the amount of sodium in the end product, when replacing lactate alternatives, due to the lower dosage required.

Many consumers are now selecting their food products based on easily identifiable ingredients. Preservatives are often required to be labelled as e-numbers or with other technical, less-recognizable labels. In order to provide a clean label alternative to preservatives, Niacet has produced Provian NDV, NDVs and Provian Plus, which are produced from naturally fermented vinegar and can therefore be labelled as such. Other benefits to some of the Provian clean label products (Provian NDV and Provian Plus) are that they contain no sodium and can be used in meat and poultry products with a natural claim.

Predictor Tools

FSSP

The Food Safety and Spoilage Predictor (FSSP) uses mathematical models to predict growth of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in food. The FSSP is a thoroughly validated predictive model and therefore accepted by food authorities. This implies that in some cases challenge studies are unnecessary to prove pathogenic control, thus making it easier to incorporate Provian preservatives into food products.

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