Tag: Food preservation

First isolated in 1955 from the bacterium *Streptomyces natalensis*, natamycin is a unique compound in the medical and food industries. This poses the critical question: **is natamycin an antibiotic or antifungal**? The answer is nuanced, rooted in its origin as an antibiotic but defined by its exclusive and potent antifungal activity.

First discovered in 1955 from a soil sample in South Africa, Natamycin is a natural antimicrobial derived from bacterial fermentation. This powerful antifungal agent, also known as pimaricin, is produced by specific strains of the soil bacterium *Streptomyces*, primarily *Streptomyces natalensis*. Today, this process is used for its production for both food preservation and medical treatments.