ABSTRACT
Lauric arginate ethyl ester (LAE) is an antimicrobial chemical that is used to control microbial populations in food products. This chapter first outlines the chemical structure and characteristics, regulatory status, and antimicrobial mechanism. LAE has strict regulations for use in food products or food packaging materials due to potential varying degrees of toxicity. LAE is known to be effective at inactivating bacteria in food products including raw meat and poultry products, ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products, seafoods, cheeses, and nuts. This chapter explores the effectiveness of various concentrations of LAE across a wide application of studies, including combination treatments with other antimicrobial chemicals and as a packaging material ingredient.
