ABSTRACT

To Study The Effect Of Potassium Bisulphite As

a Food Preservative Under Various Conditions Such
As Given Below:

 CONCENTRATION:
In chemistry, concentration can be
defined as the measure of the relative proportions of two or
more quantities in a mixture.
 TIME:
Time is nothing but the measure of amount of con-
centration during any process or activity taking place on that
particular level within the completion of the action took place
during that process.
 TEMPERATURE:
Temperature is the degree or
intensity of heat of that substance which is expressed ac-
cording to a comparative scale in graph and shown by a ther-
mometer.

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 INTRODUCTION:
WHAT ARE PRESERVATIVES ?
Growth of micro – organisms in a food material can be inhib-
ited by adding certain chemical substance. However, the chemical
substances should not be harmful to the human beings. Such chemi-
cal substances which are added to food materials to prevent their
spoilage are known as chemical preservatives. In our country, two
chemical preservatives which are permitted for use are:
1. Benzoic acid ( or sodium benzoate i.e. C7H6O2)
2. Potassium hydrogen sulphite (or potassium bisulphite i.e.
KHSO3).
 BENZOIC ACID or its sodium salt, sodium benzoate is
commonly used for the preservation of food materials. For the
preservation of fruits, fruit juices, squashes and jams it is used
as preservative because it is soluble in water and hence eas-
ily mixes with the food product. The efficacy of benzoic acid
and benzoate is thus dependent on the PH of the food.

 POTASSIUM BISULPHITE is used for the preservation

of colourless food materials such as fruit juices, squashes, ap-
ples and raw mango chutney. This is not used for preserving
coloured food materials because sulphur dioxide produced
from this chemical is a bleaching agent.
Potassium bisulphite on reaction with acid of the juice liber-
ates sulphur dioxide which is very effective in killing the
harmful micro – organisms present in food and thus prevents
it from getting spoiled .

HSO3– (aq) + H+ (aq)  H2O (l) + SO2 (g)

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The advantage of this method is that no harmful chemical is left in
the food. The aim of the project is to study the effect of potassium
bisulphite as food preservative:

1. At different temperatures,

2. At different concentrations and

3. For different intervals of time.

DESCRIPTION OF APPARATUS WE ARE
GOING TO USE IN THIS PROJECT ARE
AS FOLLOWS :
1) CONICAL FLASKS – It is a glass laboratory flask of a
conical profile with a narrow tubular neck and a flat bottom, used to
manipulate solutions or to carry out titrations.

2) GLASS ROD – a glass rod is a piece of equipment used

to mix chemical and liquids for laboratory purposes. After ev-
ery use of glass rod it is recommended that it should be
cleaned to avoid contamination. It is also used as an aid for
transferring the liquid into the funnel.

3) KNIFE – A knife is a tool with cutting edge or blade at-

tached to a handle.

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4) APPLE – Apple is a kind of fruit which will help us in mak-
ing jam in this experiment.

5) SUGAR – Sugar is nothing but the sweet – tasting, solu-

ble carbohydrates, which we use in our food sometimes. Simple
sugars are called monosaccharide and include glucose (also
known as dextrose) , fructose , galactose.

6) POTASSIUM BISULPH ITE – It is a chemical

compound with the chemical formula KHSO3. It is used during the
production of alcoholic beverages as a sterilizing agent. It is made
by the reaction sulphur dioxide and the reaction of potassium car-
bonate.
The sulfur dioxide is passed through a solution of the potassium
carbonate until no more carbon dioxide is given off. The solution is
concentrated and then allowed to crystallize.

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 MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR THIS
PROJECT:
SUGAR
GLASS
ROD
CONICAL
FLASKS APPARATUS REQUIRED
100 Ml FOR THIS PROJECT

PROJECT

APPLES POTASSIUM
KNIFE BISULPHITE

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FOOD PRESERVATION:
How we can preserve our food ?
We can preserve our food by following methods:

TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES:
 CURING:
The earliest form of curing was dehydration or drying, Smok-
ing and salting techniques improve on the drying process and
add antimicrobial agents that aid in preservation. Smoke de-
posits a number of pyrolysis products onto the food, including
the phenols syringol guaiacol and cathechol.Salt accelerates the
drying process using osmosis and also inhibits the growth of sev-
eral common strains of bacteria . More recently nitrites  have
been used to cure meat, contributing a characteristic pink colour.

 COOLING :
Cooling preserves food by slowing down the growth and reproduc-
tion of microorganisms and the action of enzymes that causes the
food to rot. Before the era of mechanical refrigeration, cooling for
food storage occurred in the forms of root cellars and iceboxes. To-
day, root cellaring remains popular among people who value vari-
ous goals, including local food, heirloom crops, traditional
home cooking techniques, family farming, frugality, self-suffi-
ciency, organic farming, and others.

 FREEZING:
Freezing is also one of the most commonly used processes, for pre-
serving a very wide range of foods. For example, potato waffles are
stored in the freezer, but potatoes themselves require only a cool
dark place to ensure many months' storage. Cold stores provide
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large-volume, long-term storage for strategic food stocks held in
case of national emergency in many countries.

MODERN INDUSTRIAL TECHNIQUES:

 PASTEURIZATION:
Pasteurization is a process for preservation of liquid food. In this
method, milk is heated at about 70 °C (158 °F) for 15–30 seconds
to kill the bacteria present in it and cooling it quickly to 10 °C
(50 °F) to prevent the remaining bacteria from growing. The milk is
then stored in sterilized bottles or pouches in cold places. This
method was invented by Louis Pasteur, a French chemist, in 1862.

 ARTIFICIAL FOOD ADDITIVES:

Preservative food additives can be antimicrobial — which inhibit
the growth of bacteria  or fungi, including mold - or antioxi-
dant, such as  oxygen absorbers, which inhibit the oxidation of
food constituents. Common antimicrobial preservatives in-
clude calcium propionate, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, sul-
fites (sulfur dioxide, sodium bisulfite, potassium hydrogen
sulfite, etc.), and EDTA.

 BIOPRESERVATION:
Biopreservation is the use of natural or controlled micro
biota or antimicrobials as a way of preserving food and extending
its shelf life. Beneficial bacteria or the fermentation products pro-
duced by these bacteria are used in biopreservation to control
spoilage and render pathogens   inactive in food. Lactic acid bacte-
ria have antagonistic properties that make them useful as biopreser-
vatives.

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NEED FOR FOOD PRESERVATION:
Preservation of food is done during the months when food is avail-
able at large quantity and therefore at large cost. Reasons of food
preservation are as follows:

1) One of the reason of food preservation is that to take care of

the excess produce.
2) The second reason is that they add variety in our meals.

3) Makes transportation of food cheap and easier for us to live and

survive.

PRINCIPLES OF FOOD PRESERVATION:

A good method of food preservation is one that slows down or pre-
vents altogether the action of the agents of spoilage. Also, during
the process of food preservation it shouldn’t be damaged. The
principles of food preservation are as follows:

a) Removal of micro – organisms or inacti-

vating them: This is done by air, water (moisture),
lowering or increasing temperature, increasing the con-
centration of salt or sugar or acid in foods. F or the
preservation of green leafy vegetables, the water should
be removed from the leaf so that micro organisms cannot
survive. This is done by drying the green leaves till all the
moisture evaporates.
b) Inactivating enzymes : Enzymes found in foods
can be inactivated by changing their conditions such as
temperature or moisture. One of the method for preserva-
tion of peas is that to put them in boiling water for few
minutes. It will inactivate the enzymes present in peas.

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ROLE OF FOOD PRESERVATION:
1. Eliminates any potential microbiological harm to the con-
sumer.

2. Maintains quality of food (sensory perceptions).

3. Maintains nutritional value within the food product.

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PROCEDURE OF FOOD PROCESSING:

PROCEDURE:
1. Take 500 g fresh apples. Wash them thoroughly and peel off
the outer layer. Remove the seeds and crush the apples in
a mixer.

2. Add about 100 g of sugar and heat the contents slowly for
about 10 minutes to prepare jam.

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3. During heating keep on stirring the contents.

4. Use this jam for performing the following experiments.

SAFETY MEASURES WHILE USING

KHSO3 AS FOOD PRESERVATIVE:
People with sulphite sensitivity might react poorly to potassium
bisulphite. A sulphite sensitivity usually causes asthma symptoms
such as wheezing or difficulty breathing. Some people may also ex-
perience anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening allergic re-
action. If you have a sensitivity to sulphites, you should avoid any
food that contains potassium bisulphite.

PRINCIPLES:
When potassium bisulphite is dissolved in water, it forms a sul-
furous acid. The acid lowers the pH of the food, which helps inhibit
the growth of harmful organisms, including bacteria such as E.
coli, as well as yeast and mold. The bisulphite oxidize and lose
some of its antimicrobial power. Also prevents browning or discol-
oration of food Potassium bisulphite is more stable than potassium
sulfite.

STUDY OF EFFECT OF CONCENTRA-

TION OF POTASSIUM BISULPHITE AND
THE EFFECT OF TIME:
1. Add 50 g of jam in each of the four conical flasks.
2. To flask A add 0.1 g, flask B 0.2 g, flask C 0.5 g and flask D
1.0 g of potassium bisulphate.

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 3. Mix the contents in each flask and leave them undisturbed at
room temperature.
4. For some days check for any growth of micro – organ-
isms after each day and record the observations in a table.

OBSERVATIONS:
Sample Wt. of Jam Wt. of Sugar Wt. of Observation (Days)
No. of Added KHSO3
Bottle 1 2 3 4 5

A) 50 g 5g 0.1 g No change No change No change Few change Few

more
change

B) 50 g 10 g 0.2g No change No change Some Some change Few

change more
change

C) 50 g 15 g 0.5 g No change Few change Some Some change More

change change

RESULT:
As the concentration of potassium bisulphite is increased, the
growth of micro – organisms appears after more day. The minimum
concentration of potassium bisulphate required for preserving
jam is approximately 1%.

STUDY OF EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE:

1) Take three conical flasks and label them as A, B and C. Add
50 g of jam in each of the three flasks.
2) Add 0.5 of potassium bisulphate to each of the three conical
flasks.
3) Keep flask A in a refrigerator, flask B at room temperature
and flask C in an oven maintained at a temperature of 60 ◦ c,
leave them undisturbed for few days.

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 4) Check for any growth of micro - organisms after each day and
record the observations.

OBSERVATIONS:
Sample No. of Wt. of Jam Wt. of Wt. of Observation (Days)
Bottle Added Sugar KHSO3
1 2 3 4 5

A) 50 g 5g 0.5 g No No No Few Some

B) 50 g 5g 0.5 g No No No No Few

C) 50 g 5g 0.5 g No No No No No

RESULT:
The growth of micro – organisms occurs earliest in the flask kpt at
room temperature. The preservation of jam by potassium bisulphate
is maximum at lower temperature (0-5◦ C).

CONCLUTION:
This experiment shows us that KHSO3 is the viable food preserva-
tive whose increased concentration can increase time for preserva-
tion. The fermentation of food present is directly proportional to
temperature conditions.

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