Food Preservation

Preservation: to maintain protect something from harm over time.

5 Techniques of food preservation:
1. Drying
2. Refrigeration
3. Fermentation
4. Pasteurisation
5. Freezing
Drying
In the Middle East, people used the heat of the Sun to dry fish and poultry. In the mid-1800s,
the French people made a process in which they air heated vegetables into vegetable cakes. In
WW2, dried food became popular as it lasted a long time without much care.
Impact of not preserving food properly.
Poor food storage can result in a growth of bacteria and mould and the food will get spoilt
through natural decay. Food waste costs a large amount of money annually for all nations.
When mould is developing in a food, it can spread to its surroundings which may decay as
well with the food. It is also ethically not good to not try to preserve or waste food as there
are millions of people in poverty that barely get any food at all.
2 Preservation techniques I use at home.
To preserve mangoes and several other fruits and vegetables, we make pickles out of them so
they can last for more than a year or two. We add salt in which is a natural preservative and
cover the top with oil so no air and bacteria can get to the pickle.
In India, we make seasoned flat bread called papadums/ papad which are rolled into thin
sheets, then dried under the Sun. This makes them last a significantly long time. The
papadums can be fried when they are consumed.
Link between Preservation and Microorganisms
Preservation involves stopping bacteria, fungi(yeast) and other microorganisms from
growing. Such as, when bread is wet with water, the yeast reacts with it and forms a mould
which is harmful to eat. So, bread and items containing yeast must be kept away from any
source of liquid and must be refrigerated so that no microorganisms can feed on the yeast.
Most to Least Useful Preservation Techniques
1. Freezing
2. Refrigeration
3. Pasteurisation
4. Drying
5. Fermentation
Freezing is the most useful as the food lasts for a long time and it can be used for many
different foods such as fruits, vegetables etc.
Refrigeration is the most used technique now during the Modern times as it reduces the
bacteria that can grow in room temperature but not the refrigerators.
Pasteurisation is also a very famous technique which is used to preserve milk which is one of
the hardest products to properly preserve for a long time. Fermentation does not preserve
essential foods, but milk is a very important food for a balanced diet.
Drying was the most famous preservation technique for transporting food without ruining it.
It was popular in the olden days in wars and migrations when very common and large
amounts of food were required.
Fermentation is only famously in alcohol-making and products containing yeast, these foods
can be replaced with cheaper and easier to preserve foods and alcohol is not an essential
component of a diet so there are not a lot of uses of fermentation.
Preservative Food
Vinegar Vegetables, fruits(pickles)
Alcohol Alcohol
Salt Fish, meat, and vegetables

Preserving food can increase the consuming time by a large or small period. It can used in
trips and places where fresh food is not available such as camping or wars. Preserving food
also decreases the food waste made by spoilt food which were not properly preserved.
Preserving food uses a lot of time(drying) and resources. It can be expensive if done in large
quantities. Preserved food usually loses the nutrients is had when it was fresh.