Potential of Syzygnium polyanthum as Natural Food Preservative: A Review

Food preservation is one of the strategies taken to maintain the level of public health. Oxidation activity and microbial contamination are the primary causes of food spoilage. For health reasons, people prefer natural preservatives over synthetic ones.Syzygnium polyanthumis widely spread throughout Asia and is utilized as a spice by the community.S. polyanthumhas been found to be rich in phenols, hydroquinones, tannins, and flavonoids, which are potential antioxidants and antimicrobial agents. Consequently,S. polyanthumpresents a tremendous opportunity as a natural preservative. This paper reviews recent articles aboutS. polyanthumdating back to the year 2000. This review summarizes the findings of natural compounds presented inS. polyanthumand their functional properties as antioxidants, antimicrobial agents, and natural preservatives in various types of food.Keywords:Syzygnium polyanthum;antioxidant;antimicrobials;natural preservative;food preservation