FOOD PRESERVATION & PACKAGING

TECHNOLOGY
Lecture Two

By: Shewarega Habtamu

 Chapter 2
Food Preservation Techniques
(1/3)
 Learning Objectives
• At the end of this Lecture, students should be able to:-
a) Explain the objectives and principles of Food
preservation.
b) Differentiate between thermal food preservation
techniques
c) Understand Factors Affecting Heat Resistance Of
Microorganisms
 1. What is food preservation?

• Preservation is a method of giving some additional treatment to

different food items
• to stop or slow down the food spoilages,
• maintain quality, edibility, nutritional value and
• improving shelf-life of products.
Objectives of food preservation
 1.1 Principle of Food preservation

• Prevents microbial decomposition

• Prevents self-decomposition of foods items
• By inactivating food enzymes
• Prevent oxidation reaction
• Prevents physical, chemical and mechanical damage
 1.2 Methods of food preservation
• Physical methods- drying, chilling, freezing, smoking, canning,
pasteurization, Sterilization……
• Chemical methods-salting, pickling, sugaring, anti-oxidants, anti-
microbials

• Hurdle technology- Combination of

more than one preservation
techniques.
 2. PRINCIPLES OF FOOD PRESERVATION BY HEAT

• Thermal processing is defined as the combination of

temperature and time required to:
• The destruction of microorganisms.
• Reduce or destroy enzyme activity
• Produce physical or chemical changes
• Make the food meet a certain quality standard
Cont’d
• The specific treatment varies with:
I. The organisms that has to be killed.
II. The nature of the food to be preserved and
III.Other means of preservation that may be used in addition to
high temperature.
2.1 Types of Thermal Processing

• Three main temperatures categories used for thermal

preservation are:
✓Pasteurization temperature – below 100℃
✓Blanching-Heating at about 100 ℃ and
✓Sterilization temperature above 100 ℃.
a. Blanching
• The primary purpose of blanching is to destroy enzyme activity in
fruit and vegetables.
• It is not intended as a sole method of preservation, But as a pre-
treatment prior to freezing, drying and canning
• Functions of blanching include:
• Reducing surface microbial contamination
• Softening vegetable tissues to facilitate filling into containers
• Removing air from intercellular spaces prior to canning
Methods of Blanching
• Hot water blanchers
• Includes various designs which hold the food in hot water for specified time,
then moves it to a dewatering/cooling section.
• Steam blanchers
• Preferred method for foods with large cut surface areas as lower leaching
losses.
• Food material carried on a mesh belt or rotatory cylinder through a steam
atmosphere, residence time controlled by speed of the conveyor or rotation
b. Pasteurization
• kills part but not all the microorganisms present and the temperature
applied is below 100 ℃
• Used to destroy enzymes.
• The heating may be by means of steam, hot 𝑯𝟐 𝑶, dry heat or
electric currents.
• The surviving microorganisms are inhibited by low temperature (or)
some other preservative method if spoilage is to be prevented.
 Cont’d
• Batch (holding) method
• Low-Temperature-Long-Time (HTST)
• 63 ℃ for 30 min-milk
• Continuous process
• High-Temperature-Short-Time
(HTST)
• 72 ℃ for at least 15 sec
c. Sterilization

• Temperatures above 100 ℃ can only be

obtained
• by using steam pressure sterilizers such as
pressure cookers and autoclaves.
• By this method all microorganisms are
completely destroyed due to high
temperature.
• The time and temperature, necessary for
sterilization vary with the type of food.
Cont’d
• The use of heat also affects the food adversely and hence
• it is necessary to use only mild heat treatment that ensures
freedom from pathogens and
• enzyme activity and
• enhance the shelf life of the food.
2.2 Factors Affecting Heat Resistance Of
Microorganisms
• Age of cell- younger cell are less heat resistance
• Initial concentration of spore or cells- more number greater
treatment
• Previous history of the spore or cells
• The medium in which growth has occurred
• Moisture content- dry food more severe heat treatment
• pH of medium-great heat resistance at or neutral pH values.