Lesson 2

Food Preservation
 
Food Preservation
 is the process of treating and handling food to stop or slow down
food spoilage, loss of quality, edibility, or nutritional value and thus
allow for longer food storage.

Preservation
• usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi (such as
that the food treated that way will go bad (spoil from bacteria) later
that if it had not been treated that way. For thousands of years,
humans have used methods of preserving food, so that they can
store food to eat later.
Processing
• Is cooking of food for a definite period of time at specified
temperature after packing them into thin or glass container to
prevent spoilage of content during storage. It is one way of killing
microorganism.
 VALUES IN FOOD PRESERVATION

1. Food preservation assures the consumer a supply of foods that are out
of season.
2. It prevents the waste of perishable foods that are in season.
3. Preserved foods may be sold to augment family income.
 VALUES IN FOOD PRESERVATION

4. Farmers will be encouraged to plant and raise more crops thus

stimulate agricultural development.
5. From the nutrition view point, food preservation is essential in
improving the general health of the family, by applying it with a varied
and balance diet.
6. On the economic stand point preserving food for future use save time,
money and energy.
 Advantages

• Food preservation prevents the food from being spoiled by the action
of enzymes and microorganisms.
• Food preservation increases the safe storage period of foodstuffs.
• It increases the availability of out of season foodstuffs.
• It increases the availability of various foodstuffs even at distant and
not easily approachable places. In other
 TYPES OF
FOOD PRESERVATIVES
 A preservative is a substance or chemicals that is added to food
substances or beverages to prevent decomposition of microbial
growth or to avoid undesirable chemical changes.

Food preservation is an ancient technique that is practiced to

preserve food products. This is practiced in different forms. Here
are different types of food preservatives.
Food Preservatives is basically done for three reasons:
 To preserve the natural characteristics of food
 To preserve the appearance of food
 To increase the shelf value of food for storage
 TYPES OF FOOD PRESERVATIVES

 Natural food preservatives

Sugar and salt are the earliest natural food preservatives that very
efficiently drop the growth of bacteria in food. To preserve meat and
fish, salt is still used as a natural food preservative.
 TYPES OF FOOD PRESERVATIVES

 Natural food preservatives

Other natural preservatives in the category are alcohol, vinegar,

etc. These are the traditional preservatives in food that are also used
at home and while making pickles, jams and juices, etc. The freezing,
boiling, smoking and salting also considered being the natural ways
of preserving food. Coffee powder and soup are freeze-dried for
preservation.
 Chemical food preservatives
Chemical food preservatives have also been used for quite some
time now. They seem to be the best and the most effective for longer
shelf life. According to the International Institution of Health, here are
some of the chemical food preservatives that are widely used-
 Benzoates (such as sodium benzoate, benzoic acid)
 Nitrites (such as sodium nitrite)
 Sulphites (such as sulphur dioxide)
 Sorbates (such as sodium sorbate, potassium sorbate
 Antioxidants

Are also the chemical food preservatives that act as free radical
scavengers. In this category of preservatives in food comes Vitamin C,
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), bacterial growth inhibitors like
sodium nitrite, sulfur dioxide, and benzoic acid.
 Antioxidants

 Then there is ethanol that is one of the chemical preservatives in

food, wine, and food stored in brandy. Unlike natural food
preservatives, some of the chemical food preservatives are harmful.
Sulfur dioxide and nitrites are examples. Sulfur dioxide,
reportedly, causes irritation in bronchial tubes and nitrites are
carcinogenic.
 Artificial preservatives

Artificial preservatives are the chemical substances that

stop the growth of bacteria, spoilage, and discoloration. These
artificial preservatives can be added to the food or sprayed on the
food
END…
 METHODS OF
FOOD PRESERVATION
DRYING
 food is also a way of preserving seasonal foods for later use.
 is defined as the application of heat under controlled conditions to
remove majority of water normally present in a food by
evaporation (except in freeze drying where the food is first frozen
and then water is removed by sublimation).
 It is the oldest method of food preservation. In ancient times,
drying was the only method of food preservation where food
products were dried either by sun or wind.

DRYING
SALTING
 is the preservation of food with dry edible salt.
 Any living cell in such an environment will become
dehydrated through osmosis and die or become
temporarily inactivated.
 Brine Solution – combination of water and salt.

SALTING
SUGARING
 You know it was a common practice in ancient times to store
fruits in honey. Sugar tend to draw water from microbial cells
thus leaving them dehydrated. Dehydrated microbial cells thus
die because water is necessary for any living form for survival.
Sugaring is done by preparing sugar syrup.
 Sugaring is done for fruits and brining is done in case of
vegetables. If we do brining in case of fruits, then perhaps there
will be the loss of flavor and aroma of fruit. Sugaring is done
with apples, pears, peaches, apricots, plums etc.
 
SUGARING
CANNING
Canning is defined as the preservation of food products
in sealed containers which usually implies heat
treatment for the prevention of spoilage. In conventional
canning, the food is placed inside the container, air is
removed by vacuum and cans are hermetically sealed.
The cans are then placed in retort and sterilized with
steam.

CANNING
FREEZING
 It is low temperature food preservation technique in which food
product is frozen. The low temperature does not allow the growth
and multiplication of most of the microorganisms. Freezing does
not sterilize the food but it reduces the microbial load. The shelf
life of frozen food is much high.

FREEZING
SMOKING
 This method is done in combination with other methods

SMOKING
FERMENTATION
 Is the process of encouraging the growth of good bugs to
inhibit the bad bugs that can spoil food.

FERMENTATION
PICKLING
 Is the process of soaking food to a solution containing
salt, acid or alcohol.

PICKLING
PASTUERIZATION
 is the process by which heat is applied to food and
beverages to kill pathogens and extend shelf life.
 Pasteurization is named for Louis Pasteur, who developed
a method to kill microbes in 1864. However, the process
has been in use since at least 1117 AD.

PASTUERIZATION
 Pasteurization may be applied to both packaged and
unpackaged solids and liquids. Examples of commonly
pasteurized products include:
Beer Milk Wine
Canned goods Nuts Vinegar
Dairy products Syrup Water
Eggs Fruit juices

PASTUERIZATION
BAKING
 has two purposes; developing different type of food product from
grains, then preserving it for future use. Grains for bread are
grouped into flour, and then made into dough by fermentation
with yeast to develop desirable flavors and textures. The dough
is then subjected to heat. This coagulates (thick & partly solid)
the bread, reduces the moisture, and kills the microorganisms
that would otherwise cause spoilage.

BAKING
 HEATIN
G
 All types of food can be preserved for a considerable period
of time by cooking. Heating or cooking destroys or
inactivates these enzymes, thus preventing this type of
deterioration. Cooking also destroys certain types of
microorganisms that cause spoilage. However, ordinary
cooking does not destroy all bacteria. 
PROCESSING
AND
LABELLING
FOOD PACKAGING
- is valuable to food preservation because it aids in lengthening
the life of food. A package protects the food stuff from physical
damage during handling, and contamination by dirt, and other
foreign materials; it also prevents infestation of insects,
rodents, and microorganisms. Moreover, loss or gain of
moisture is controlled and contact with air, light, heat and
contaminating gasses is minimized.
 PURPOSE OF FOOD PACKAGING
 It protects food from physical and chemical spoilage
 It enhances the shelf stability of preserved food stuff.
 It facilitates the handling of food.
 It simplifies storage of food stuffs
 PACKAGE CHARACTERISTICS
 The main function of package is to ensure complete protection
of the contents.
 The packaging material should be suitable to the product
properties and should not alter the good qualities of the
product.
 Package characteristics include moisture, proofness,
resistance to microorganisms, resistance to insects and
rodents, protection against light and odor retention and
absorption.
 TYPES OF PACKAGING MATERIALS
1. FLEXIBLE OR SOFT PACKAGING MATERIALS
a. Cellophane
b. Aluminum Foil
c. Poly ethylene
d. Wax Coated papers
e. Tetra pack
f. Saran film
g. Laminated wrappings
h. Others- such as box, edible packages, plastic bags
2. RIGID CONTAINERS – is the property of a solid body to
resist deformation
a Glass jars
b. Cans
c. Rigid plastic containers
d. Paper board cartons
3. NON RIGID MATERIALS
a. Paper such as carton-grease proof paper
b. Cloth such as muslin-cheese cloth and burlap (a strong
rough fabric that is used mostly for making bag)
COMMON PACKAGING
MATERIALS
 1. GLASS CONTAINER – it is best for solids and liquids because it
is leak-proof and does not cause undesirable flavor and odor in
foods

Advantages in using glass containers for packaging

 Resistance to corrosion – corrosion or wearing away of the plated
walls as observed in tin cans doesn’t occur in glass containers.
 Ease of opening and reclosing – glass containers, in contrast
to metal cans, are easy to open and close.
 Transparency – many customers prefer to buy food packed in
glass as they are able to see what they are buying. Foods in
glass containers also appear cleaner.
 Easy detection of spoilage – signs of spoilage can easily be
seen in glass- packed foods.
 Prevention of contamination due to composition-contamination
of foods due to material composition of containers can be
avoided with the use of glass jars. Thus, the problem of
undesirable flavor, odor and some cases of spoilage are
prevented.
 DISADVANTAGES IN USING GLASS CONTAINER

 Fragility – this is the most serious disadvantage of glass

container. Breakage can prove costly for both the consumer and
producer. Transport costs can also be higher because foods
packed in glass can’t piled in the same way as metal cans.
 Exposure to light – since most glass containers are transparent,
the contents are exposed to light.
2. METAL CONTAINERS – metal cans compared to glass
containers are easier to handle during storing and dispensing
because they are lighter and unbreakable.
 
PLASTIC CONTAINER – plastic jars are sometimes preferred over
ones made of glass or metal. Plastic packages are lighter and more
resistant to corrosion. Plastic containers less likely to break unlike
glass containers. Food packed in plastic can’t be seen clearly and
therefore, its quality cannot be known; also plastic containers have
very low resistance to heat.
LABELLING
- is defined as identity or describing product by placing printed,
written or graphic materials on a container or wrapper.
- A finished product is labelled mainly to tell the consumer what the
product is. Labels identify the manufacturer of each product and
tell about its quality in terms of taste and nutritive value.
- Labelling should meet the requirements of the food, drug and
cosmetic act administered by the Food and Drug Administration.
 PROPER LABELLING

 Name and address of the

manufacturer (address should
be immediately below the
name of the manufacturer and
should be indicate the town
province and the name
Philippines)
 PROPER LABELLING

 Net content or net weight – if

contents are in liquid form
indicate the weight or ml, if
semi-solid, indicate the weight
in grams; if solid, such as
mango halves or pineapple
slices indicate by numerical
count.
 PROPER LABELLING

 Statement of ingredients –
ingredients used should be
specified as shown below:
Ex. Ingredients: Mango
halves, sugar, water, etc.
 PROPER LABELLING

 Other relevant information on

other materials used in the
manufacture of the food should
be specified – artificial coloring
or flavouring additives maybe
indicated as “artificially
flavored” or “artificial flavored
added”.
 PROPER LABELLING

 If alcohol is contained in the

product, a separate statement of
the alcohol content should be
indicated on the label as:
Alcohol content: 15% or 30%
END...
 TIPS ON
FOOD PRESERVATION
 Tips on Food Preservation

1.Preserve only those foods which are in their prime quality.

2.Choose fresh, firm fruits and young tender vegetables, sort them
for uniformity in sizes, ripeness; they cook more evenly when at
the same size.
3.Check ingredients and equipment's before starting.
 
 Tips on Food Preservation

4. Work quickly to keep freshness and avoid spoilage

5.Follow direction given for a particular product.
6.Follow strictly a reliable canning timetable to avoid over or under
processing.
7.Store product in a cool dry place.
 
 END OF
LESSON 2…