Principles of food preservation

PRINCIPLES OF FOOD PRESERVATION

FOOD PRESERVATIVES

Food preservation set treating and handling food to stop or slow down spoilage.
preservation usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, y ests, fungi, and other microorganism as well as retarding pure chemical reactions in food like the oxidation fats which cause rancidity.

 Food preservation also includes processes which inhibit natural discoloration that can occur during food preparation, such as enzymatic brownie reaction in apples after they are cut.

Many processes to preserve food will involve a number of food preservation methods. Preserving foods by turning into jam.

• Principles of food preservation:

                    A good method of food preservation is one that slow down or prevents action of the agent of spoilage. Also during the process of food preservation, food should not be damaged. In order to achieve this certain basic methods were applied on different types of foods.
For example, in earlier days, in very cold weather condition, ice was used to preserve foods. thus, where is low temperature become an efficient method for preventing food spoilage.
Let us now list the principle of food preservation.

1. Prevention or delay of micro decomposition
2.  Prevention of changes due to enzymatic activity and pure chemical reactions in food
3. Prevention and delay of damage caused by insects, worms and rodents.

•  PREVENTION OR DELAY OF MICROBIAL DECOMPOSITION

- Microorganism remains as the biggest treats for the food preservation.

- The activity and growth of microorganism depends upon various factors such as

• Nutrient content of food
•  Moisture content
• Oxygen availability
• Temperature
• concentration of salt and sugar
• Acid content and acidity of food

- By controlling these factors. The growth of microorganism can delayed or prevented.

- Prevention and delay of microbial decomposition can be generally achieved by

• •  Keeping out microbes: Asepsis
  •  of microbes: Filtration
  •  Stopping activity of microbes: By change in Environment
  •  Application of temperature to  prevent growth of microbes
  •  Killing of microbes by a radiation or other techniques, etc.
  •  By reducing oxygen level in combination of other factors.

                       

• PREVENTION OF CHANGES DUE TO ENZYMATIC ACTIVITY

- Enzymes are the biological catalysts responsible for acceleration of rate of reaction in food which adversely affect the quality.

- Enzymes found in foods can be in activated by changing their structure and conditions by method such as

• Heating
• Oxygen removal
• Use of acids
• Use of chemicals (antioxidants)

•  PREVENTION AND DELAY OF  DAMAGE CAUSED BY INSECTS, WORMS AND RODENTS

- Insects, worms and rodents always a reminder as a major competitor of human food.

- The damaged caused by insects, worms and rodents can be prevented by using pesticides, insecticides and rodenticides etc.