The shelf life of a product can be extended either by adding artificial preservatives or by taking hygienic measures during the manufacturing process.
As the consumer trend today is towards preservative-free foods with a long shelf-life, industry is being forced to rethink its manufacturing methods.
A clean and hygienic manufacturing environment is an essential prerequisite in order to keep contamination-related reject rates low.
The utilization of surfaces in the manufacturing environment with antibacterial properties can significantly reduce contamination risks.
[citation needed] The determination of the antibacterial activity (microbicidy) of surfaces is described in the following norms: ISO 22196[1] and JIS Z 2801.