What Is Natamycin Suspension (Liquid E235)? Applications, Dosage, Alternatives & Specifications

Natamycin, English name is Natamycin, also known as Pimaricin, is a natural antifungal polyene macrolide biopreservative produced by specific strains of Streptomyces through aerobic submerged fermentation. It has irreplaceable core application value in the global food industry, beverage industry, pharmaceutical industry, and cosmetic industry. Its CAS number is 7681–93–8, CNS number in Chinese food additives is 17.030, and international INS number is 235. In terms of chemical structure, natamycin belongs to the 26-membered polyene macrolide class of antibiotics. Its molecule contains a conjugated polyene structure. Its mechanism of action involves specifically binding to ergosterol in fungal cell membranes, forming pores, disrupting membrane permeability, leading to leakage of intracellular contents, thereby causing fungal cell death. This unique mechanism gives natamycin an extremely specific antimicrobial spectrum – it efficiently inhibits molds and yeasts but has no inhibitory effect on bacteria. Therefore, natamycin has an irreplaceable advantage in inhibiting mold on food surfaces, while not affecting the normal growth of beneficial bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria during food fermentation and maturation processes. Natamycin typically appears as a white to off-white crystalline powder, almost odorless and tasteless, with high stability. Its solubility is extremely low (approximately 10—40 mg/L in water). This characteristic means it mainly acts through surface treatment in foods, with very low residual levels that do not easily penetrate into the food interior. Natamycin has high stability to heat, light, acid, and oxygen in the dry state, but gradually degrades and loses activity in aqueous solution, especially under high temperature and extreme pH conditions (pH <3 or pH >9). It is a natural, broad-spectrum, highly effective, and safe inhibitor of filamentous fungi such as yeasts and molds, capable not only of inhibiting fungal growth but also of preventing the production of mycotoxins. This substance is recognized as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by international authorities and has extremely high biosafety.

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Natamycin is recognized as the gold standard for natural antifungal preservatives, holding an unshakable core position in the global food industry and biotechnology fields. Its most outstanding advantages lie in its extremely specific anti-mold and anti-yeast activity, no effect on bacteria, high surface treatment efficiency, good thermal and light stability, extremely high safety, and clean label attributes. 1 Extremely Specific Antifungal Activity: Natamycin has a very strong inhibitory effect against molds and yeasts, with minimum inhibitory concentrations typically in the range of 1—10 mg/kg. At the same time, it has no inhibitory effect on bacteria. Therefore, in fermented foods where natamycin is used, the normal fermentation process of beneficial bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria is not affected at all. This characteristic is unmatched by other broad-spectrum preservatives. 2 Highly Efficient Surface Treatment with Low Residue Levels: Due to its very low water solubility, natamycin almost does not penetrate into the food interior, mainly remaining on the food surface to form a protective layer, efficiently inhibiting the growth of surface molds. This also results in very low residual levels in food, far below safety limits, posing no risk to human health. 3 Thermal Stability and Light Stability: Natamycin is stable to heat in the dry state and can withstand heat treatments such as baking. However, it slowly degrades at high temperatures in aqueous solution, so optimization according to process conditions is required when used. It is sensitive to ultraviolet light and gradually inactivates in sunlight. This characteristic can also be used to control residues during packaging. 4 Extremely High Safety: Natamycin is hardly absorbed by the human gastrointestinal tract; the vast majority of intake is excreted in feces. The Acceptable Daily Intake set by JECFA is 0—0.3 mg/kg body weight, making it a very high-safety food additive. The US FDA recognizes it as a GRAS substance. 5 Clean Label and Natural Origin: Natamycin is produced by microbial fermentation and belongs to natural biopreservatives, aligning with global consumer demand for clean labels and natural ingredients. It can be an ideal substitute for chemical preservatives such as potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate. 6 Prevention of Mycotoxin Production: Natamycin can not only inhibit mold growth but also effectively prevent the production of mycotoxins on food, further improving food safety.