PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an assured safe preservative containing minerals, and a mineral supply source to compensate such present circumstances that recent farm products have less mineral contents and processed food made therefrom lacks minerals, and as a result, an effect as the preservative is decreased although focusing on the importance of vegetable minerals lower in toxicity than ions, having moderate stability and liposolubility and excellent antiseptic action because minerals hardly pass through biomembranes and are hardly taken into a living body due to most of minerals being inorganic salt.SOLUTION: The preservative contains (a) yttrium, or an yttrium oxide, carbide, chloride, sulphide, phosphide or chelate, and as at least minerals, (b) sulfur, or a sulfur oxide, carbide, chloride, sulphide, phosphide or chelate, (c) iron, or an iron oxide, carbide, chloride, sulphide, phosphide or chelate, (d) calcium, or a calcium oxide, carbide, chloride, sulphide, phosphide or chelate, and (e) magnesium, or a magnesium oxide, carbide, chloride, sulphide, phosphide or chelate.