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One of the oldest technologies known to people is food preservation. People have always wanted to have safe and nutritious food as well as good quality food with good color, aroma, flavor, texture and wholesomeness. Food is safe when it is free from naturally occurring microorganisms, toxins and other harmful chemicals. Sterile food has no bacteria, and if the food wasn’t sealed and sterilized it does have bacteria. For example, milk naturally contains bacteria, and if you leave it at the room temperature for a couple of hours it will spoil. But if you store it in the refrigerator, it will stay fresh for longer time, because lower temperatures slow down the bacteria growth.
We use food preservation to slow down or totally stop food spoilage. We try to prevent growth of bacteria and microorganisms as well as fats oxidation, which lead to food spoilage. But, some food preservation methods actually use fungi, yeasts or bacteria for preserving particular food like cheeses or wine. Some of the preservation processes may include suppressing food aging and discoloration. Some foods need to be sealed and others can be stored without further special containment, such as after drying. There is a vast amount of food preservation methods such as canning, vacuum packing, freezing, freeze drying, preserving in syrup, sugar crystallization, food irradiation and others.
Salting, or curing, is the type of food preservation that involves removing moisture from meats through the process of osmosis. The process involves curing meat with sugar or salt, or both. Sometimes nitrates and nitrites are used to cure meat.
Freezing is another popular way of preserving food for domestic and commercial use. A wide range of food is preserved this way.
Irradiation or cold pasteurization involves food exposure to ionizing radiation. This food preserving method affects food in many ways including killing bacteria, molds, and insects and reduces its spoiling.
One more method of food preservation uses extremely high pressure. Food retains its nutrients, texture, appearance and flavor as well as stays fresh.
Vacuum packing involves food storage in an airless environment such as in air tight bag. This method of food preservation slows down food spoiling, leaving bacteria contained in food without oxygen.
Another method of food preservation is pickling. It involves leaving food in a special, anti-microbial, edible liquid. Chemical pickling kills or inhibits bacteria in a liquid and fermentation pickling makes food to produce preservation agents typically in the process of producing lactic acid.
Canning food involves its cooking and then sealing it in cans and jars and then boiling containers to kill any bacteria left. Meats and vegetables require pressure canning, as those are foods low in acid.
These are only some of the most popular methods of food preservation, which will make you more informed in these processes and maybe make you want to preserve your own food for your food storage.
Are you aware that food storage can save you from lots of problems during different emergency cases. Read more about food storage on this food storage blog.