Food Preservation: An Introduction

1 International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD). Volume 3 Issue 5, August 2019 Available Online: e-ISSN: 2456 6470. Food Preservation: An Introduction Matthew N. O. Sadiku1, Tolulope J. Ashaolu2, Sarhan M. Musa1. 1 RoyG. Perry College of Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas 2 College of Food Science, Southwest University, Tiansheng Road Beibei District, Chongqing, China How to cite this paper: Matthew N. O. ABSTRACT. Sadiku | Tolulope J. Ashaolu | Sarhan M. Food is a very basic requirement for human survival. Food preservation is Musa "Food Preservation: An treating foods to delay its deterioration. It employs any technique to keep food Introduction " from spoilage after harvest or slaughter. The main idea behind all methods of Published in food preservation is to slow down the activity of disease-causing bacteria or International kill the bacteria altogether.

2 Understanding the effects of each preservation Journal of Trend in method on foods is critical in food In this paper, concepts related Scientific Research to food preservation are discussed. and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456- KEYWORDS: food preservation, food safety, preservation methods IJTSRD25319. 6470, Volume-3 |. Issue-5, August 2019, , Introduction . Because food is so important to survival, food preservation has been one of the oldest sciences used by human beings. Food spoils from bacteria if it is not Copyright 2019 by author(s) and treated. Food deterioration is caused by environmental factors such as International Journal of Trend in Scientific temperature, humidity, oxygen and light and will result in loss of quality Research and Development Journal. This attributes.

3 Before the dawn of modern agriculture, human beings stored nuts is an Open Access article distributed and seeds for winter use and discovered that meat and fish could be preserved under the terms of by drying in the sun. the Creative Commons Attribution Humans since the Stone age have experimented with various methods for License (CC BY ) successful food preservation. A major concern of the food scientist is to make ( foods as safe as possible whether they are used fresh or processed. ). To meet the global demand for food requires increasing food to decline to an unacceptable level. The main preservation production as well as preserving more of the food that we technologies are thermal processing, freezing, , drying, already have. ionizing radiation, chemical preservation, high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric field, and intense light.

4 CONCEPT OF FOOD PRESERVATION. Food preservation is a means of treating foods to delay its TRADITIONAL FOOD PRESERVATION METHODS. deterioration. It implies putting microorganisms in a hostile Many processes designed to preserve food involve more environment, in order to inhibit their growth or shorten than one food preservation method. Some traditional their survival or cause their death. It involves preparing methods of preserving food have a lower energy input and fresh food for long-term storage by using techniques that carbon footprint compared to modern methods. Common prevent the food from spoiling. Food preservation is traditional ways of preserving food include [1-3]: necessary for the following reasons: Drying in the sun or in an oven. Drying is a common It prevents the growth of microorganisms as well as method for drying fruits and some vegetables.

5 It is slowing the oxidation of fats. effective because it removes much of the food's water. It extends product shelf - life and maintain quality Drying and salting are often done together. A traditional attributes method for preserving rice is to allow it to dry naturally It prepare new products like jams, pickles, etc. which are in the fields. enjoyed all the year round. Salting binds with water molecules and acts as a It curbs food losses and wastage and avoids problems dehydrating agent in foods. Salt was used for flavoring. like food shortage or famine. Meat can be preserved by salting it. Sugar means to have It is needed today due to the large world population and effects similar to those of salt in preserving food. Salt aging population. and sugar draw liquid out of the food.

6 Smoking the food with the smoke from burning wood. Bacteria and fungi are the major types of microorganisms Smoking meat and fish as a means of preserving them that cause food spoilage and food-borne illnesses. The two grew out of cooking. Usually, this is done to food that types of fungi that are important in food spoilage are yeasts was salted first. Smoking and salting techniques and molds. improve on the drying process and add antimicrobial agents that aid in preservation. Certain foods exposed to The main objective of food processing is to preserve the smoke lasts longer than those that are not. Meats, fish, overall quality of the food over a certain duration, known as fowl, and cheese were among such foods. the shelf - life . The shelf - life is the time it takes a food product @ IJTSRD | Unique Paper ID IJTSRD25319 | Volume 3 | Issue 5 | July - August 2019 Page 367.

7 International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) @ eISSN: 2456-6470. Freezing and Refrigeration preserves food by slowing Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) processing is a method for down the growth and reproduction of bacteria and other processing cells by means of brief pulses of a strong microorganisms that cause the food to rot. Freezing is electric field. When the low frequency electric field is one of the most commonly used processes, both applied to the cell, the voltage concentrates to the cell commercially and domestically, for preserving a very membrane and breakdown occurs in the cell membrane wide range of foods. It helps in retaining quality of food when a particular voltage is reached. Through PEF. products over long storage periods. Freezing is effective treatment a permeabilization of plant, animal and because the pathogens that cause food spoilage are microbial cells is achieved.

8 Killed at low temperatures. Fish, meat, poultry, and fruit Hurdle technology is the application of combined juices are among the foods most commonly preserved preservation techniques. It is a method of ensuring that by freezing. pathogens in food products can be controlled by Heating food is an effective way of preserving it because combining more than one approach. These approaches the great majority of harmful pathogens are killed at can be thought of as "hurdles" the pathogen has to temperatures close to the boiling point of water. Boiling overcome if it is to remain active in the food. Typical liquid food items such as milt and water can kill any any hurdles in a food system are high temperature during harmful microbes that may be present in them. processing, low temperature during storage, and Canning is one of the methods of home preservation.

9 It increasing the acidity. involves sterilizing a food product, usually by heating, and then placing it within an air-tight container. It Other modern methods include biotechnology, preserves food by removing air, preventing growth of nanotechnology, ultraviolet and microwave radiation, bacteria, destroying enzymes, and creating a tight seal. ultrasound, ozone, and pulsed light. Some of these will play a Fermentation is the microbial conversion of starch and more important role in the future. sugars into alcohol. It transforms low acid foods into high acid foods, giving them a longer shelf life Both the traditional and modern food preservation methods Although fermentation adds nutrition, most fermented are illustrated in Figure 1 [4]. Selection of food preservation foods last only weeks or months.

10 Not only can method depends on factors inherent to the food product and fermentation produce alcohol, but it can also be a its physical and chemical characteristics. A mix of food valuable preservation technique. Grapes, rice, and barley preserving methods is recommended. Some of the common were fermented into wine and beer. Bread is another preservation techniques are no longer recommended due to food product made by fermentation. food safety concern. Some traditional methods in food preservation may also APPLICATIONS. destroy or remove sonic essential nutrients or decrease their Home food preservation helps you stock up and save money, digestibility. However, some of them are used in modern whether you're growing your own food or buying in bulk. industrial food processing and preservation.