Use of Spices in Foods

In this era of increased concern on safety of chemical food additives, natural methods of preservation and natural preservatives are receiving increased attention. Despite their demonstrated potential use in food as preservatives, spices still remain primarily as food condiments. A lot of research has been done in the effort to demonstrate the antimicrobial potency of spices in cultured media. Though spices are less effective in foods than in cultured media, it is the use in foods that is of practical importance. This has not been exploited vis-a-vis the chemical additives. The antioxidant components of spices have been investigated but with minimal commercial utilization. Spices mostly used as antimicrobials and antioxidants do not exhibit toxicity at levels consumed. These are therefore evidently a group of plants, which have not fully been utilized in food technology. This review discusses and evaluates the antimicrobial and antioxidant potency of spices and advocates for more research and commercial utilization in foods.