Natural preservation strategies for fruit: based bakery fillings

The storage stability of an industrial banana-based filling commonly used in bakery applications was evaluated over 70 days at 22 °C and 62% relative humidity. Potassium sorbate (0.095%) was replaced with a commercial red fruit extract (0.5%) as a natural preservative. Microbiological characteristics, including total viable counts, molds and yeasts and spore-forming bacilli, were assessed throughout storage. Additionally, physicochemical and rheological properties were evaluated. The results suggest that the commercial red fruit extract is a promising “clean label” alternative to potassium sorbate, effectively maintaining the desired quality and safety of the banana-based filling during storage.