According to a recent report in The (London) Sunday Times, researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered a naturally-occurring compound – called ‘bisin’ – which can destroy the bacteria that cause the rotting of meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.

The researchers have reported that ‘bisin’ is essentially a preservative which reduces the growth of bacteria - including E. coli, salmonella and listeria – and can, thus, help food stay fresh for more than a year, without refrigeration.

Revealing that ‘bisin’ has been discovered from a culture of a harmless bacteria - Bifodobacterium longum, which is commonly found in the human gut -, the researchers said that it would be safe to consume foods treated with the preservative long after they were bought. However, since the decomposition process of fruits and vegetables is different, the agent cannot prevent them from rotting.

Noting that the discovery of ‘bisin’ in effectively preventing the rotting of foods will bring down the 20million tonnes of food waste thrown out in the UK every year, the researchers said that it is likely that foods like milk, sausages and sandwiches containing the agent could hit store shelves within the next three years.

Stating that bisin “seems to be much better than anything which has gone before,” Dr Dan O’Sullivan - an Irish microbiologist who works at the university, and accidentally discovered the agent while examining a culture of bacteria found in the human intestine – said: “It doesn’t compromise nutrient quality – we are not adding a chemical, we are adding a natural ingredient.”