Highlights•Antimicrobial effectiveness of preservatives in model systems and in
foods.•Impact of food composition and structure on the antimicrobial efficacy.•Introduction of
the qualitative parameter 'structure sensitivity'of preservatives.•Approach for paradox
explanation: electrostatic-interactions and hydrophobic interactions.•Strategies to enhance
antimicrobial effectiveness in complex matrices.Antimicrobials are components added to
foods to inhibit microbial growth or inactivate microorganisms. The use of increasingly …