Natural Preservatives

Preservatives are used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food and industrial products to prevent deterioration of the product and to prolong its use. Preservatives are classified into two groups as natural and synthetic according to their source. However, the interest in natural preservatives has increased due to the negative effects of synthetic preservatives on health and the increasing concerns about their safety. Plants have been used in many fields such as medicine, food, perfume and cosmetics since ancient times, and they are important as natural preservatives. There are studies in which the antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal effects of essential oils, extracts prepared from herbal drugs with various solvents, and herbal active substances purified and isolated from these extracts are investigated and significant results are revealed. For this reason, it is thought that they can be used as preservatives in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical and food industries due to their antimicrobial and antioxidant effects. In this study, plants, drugs, and herbal active substances that are used or can be used as preservatives of herbal origin with regards to their antimicrobial effects were examined.