History of Food Preservation

As early as the beginning of the 19th century,

major breakthroughs in food preservation had
begun. Soldiers and seamen, fighting in
Napoleons army were living off of salt-preserved
meats. These poorly cured foods provided
minimal nutritional value, and frequent outbreaks
of scurvy were developing. It was Napoleon who
began the search for a better mechanism of food
preservation, and it was he who offered 12,000-
franc pieces to the person who devised a safe and
dependable food-preservation process.
SCURVY-a disease caused by a
deficiency of vitamin C, characterized
by swollen bleeding gums and the
opening of previously healed
wounds, which particularly affected
poorly nourished sailors until the
end of the 18th century.
The winner was a French chemist
named Nicolas Appert. He observed
that food heated in sealed containers
was preserved as long as the
container remained unopened or the
seal did not leak. This became the
turning point in food preservation
history.
Fifty years following the discovery by Nicolas
Appert, another breakthrough had
developed. Another Frenchman, named
Louis Pasteur, noted the relationship
between microorganisms and food spoilage.
This breakthrough increased the
dependability of the food canning process.
As the years passed new techniques
assuring food preservation would come and
go, opening new doors to further research.
 In the Philippines a Food Technologist named
Maria Ylagan Orosa, a pioneer in food technology
and war heroine made over 700 recipes prepared
and kitchen-tested by Miss Orosa. These became
a rich source and reference for countless
cookbooks and recipe books that have been
published through the years.
A passionate nationalist, Miss Orosa utilized
native vegetables and fruits in food preparation to
eliminate or minimize importation of food
products.
She made jellies, jams and marmalades
from tamarind, santol, mango, guava;
toyo from soy, other beans and even
copra; the nutritious “magic food” from
powdered soy beans; native cassava
substituted for wheat flour; candied
fruits went into fruitcakes; calamansi,
mango and santolada juice concentrates
replaced bottled softdrinks and juices.
Before Del Monte ever thought of
making vinegar from pineapple, Miss
Orosa was already doing it before
World War II. Rice bran became food
rich in Vitamin B1 or thiamine for
nursing mothers suffering from beri-
beri. From the by-products of nata
de piña, she manufactured vinegar.
She devised a process of canning food for the
guerillas, preserved macapuno, banana,
camote, other yams and potato as chips.
Nuts were preserved with the aid of a
vacuum. A food technologist
in Berkeley, California, Dr. Kruze, describes
Maria Orosa “as a Filipina who came to the
laboratory to do experiments who surprised
everyone with the first frozen mangoes from
the Philippines”.
Her many studies included the
preparation of dehydrated fruits
and vegetables, dehydration of
meats, preparation of fish balls,
preparation of agar from
seaweed, preparation and
utilization of peanuts for culinary
oil and salad oil.
She pioneered in utilizing green
banana flour for baking; the pickling
of cucumber and green tomatoes;
the making of catsup from banana,
mango and ripe tomato; the
utilization of native fruits in
manufacturing wines; and the use of
ash and lime for making soap.
Daughter of Simplicio Orosa y Agoncillo and
Juliana Ylagan of Taal, Batangas, Maria
established such an impressive academic
record as recipient of BS and MS degrees
from Washington University in 1919, that she
was appointed assistant state chemist for the
state of Washington the following year. She
later gave up this prestigious post to serve
her country. Miss Orosa steadfastly refused
to evacuate to Batangas with her family,
saying, “I cannot abandon my work.
With her “magic Food,” the Soyalac, she
saved thousands of such prisoners who
would have otherwise died of hunger.
During an intense fighting between the
Japanese and American liberating
forces, Orosa was hit by shrapnel while
performing her job at the Bureau of
Plant Industry building, located in
Malate, Manila.
Food preservation is a set of
techniques or methods to
prevent food from spoilage. This
includes canning, drying,
dehydrating, freeze-drying,
smoking, pasteurization and
irradiation as well as addition of
chemical additives.
Food preservation prevents the growth of
microorganisms (such as yeasts), or other
microorganisms (although some methods work by
introducing benign bacteria or fungi to the food),
as well as slowing the oxidation of fats that cause
rancidity.
Food preservation refers to any one of a number
of techniques used to prevent food from spoiling.
It includes methods such as canning, pickling,
drying and freeze-drying, irradiation,
pasteurization , smoking, and the addition of
chemical additives.
Food preservation is necessary because
increased instances of food spoilage can be
attributed to attack by microbes or disease
causing pathogens. Oxidation leads to
destruction of essential compounds,
harming the biochemical composition of
food as well. From using high heat to
preventing chemical reactions that lead to
oxidation and consequent spoilage of food,
techniques of preservation aim to extend
the life of food.
Food preservation has become an
important part of the food industry
and daily life.
Irradiation is the process of treating
food products using x-rays, gamma
rays, or electron beam in order to
eliminate organisms that cause
foodborne illnesses, destroy bacteria
that cause food spoilage, and delay
sprouting and ripening.
IMPORTANCE OF FOOD PRESERVATION
All foods begin to deteriorate, or spoil, as
soon as they are harvested or
slaughtered. Most spoiling is caused by
microorganisms such as bacteria or mold,
or by chemical changes within
the food itself due to enzyme action or
oxidation. The purpose of food
preservation is to stop or slow down the
spoilage.
Food additives are chemicals added
to foods to keep them fresh or to
enhance their colour, flavour or
texture. They may
include food colourings (such as
tartrazine or cochineal), flavour
enhancers (such as MSG) or a range
of preservatives.
Food drying is a method
of food preservation in
which food is dried (dehydrat
ed or
desiccated). Drying inhibits
the growth of bacteria, yeasts,
and mold through the
removal of water.
Curing is any of various food
preservation and flavoring processes
of foods such as meat, fish and
vegetables, by the addition of
combinations of salt, nitrates,
nitrites, or sugar, with the aim of
drawing moisture out of the food by
the process of osmosis.
Freezing delays spoilage and
keeps foods safe by preventing
microorganisms from growing and by
slowing down the enzyme activity that
causes food to spoil. As the water in
the food freezes into ice crystals, it
becomes unavailable to those
microorganisms that need it for
growth
Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning,
cooking, or preserving food by exposing it
to smoke from burning or smoldering material,
most often wood. Meat, fish.
Salting The salt is a water absorbent and hence
removes water from any food. In absence of water
bacteria don't multiply and hence act
as preservative. Basically, salt works by
drying food. Salt absorbs water from foods,
making the environment too dry to
support harmful mold or bacteria.
Home Food Preservation –8 Ways to Preserve Food at Home
1. Minimal Processing – Cool Storage and Room Temperature Storage
2. Drying/Dehydrating
3. Canning – Water Bath Canning and Pressure
Canning
4. Freezing
Freezing foods typically produces flavors and textures most similar to
fresh, and can be done without much specialized equipment. It is
recommended that you blanch or cook most vegetables before
freezing to stop enzyme action and insure best quality.
5.Lacto-fermentation
Natural fermentation can be used to change low acid foods into high acid foods, giving
them a longer shelf life to store “as is”, or allowing them to be canned in a water bath
canner instead of a pressure canner. (Remember, water bath canning is suited for high
acid foods.)
6.Preserving in Salt and Sugar
7.Immersion in Alcohol
8. Vinegar Pickling
What is a natural preservative?
Ascorbic acid and tocopherol, which are
vitamins, are common preservatives.
Smoking entails exposing food to a
variety of phenols, which are
antioxidants.Natural
preservatives include rosemary and
oregano extract, hops, salt, sugar,
vinegar, alcohol, diatomaceous earth and
castor oil.
Why are preservatives and
antioxidants added to food? 
Preservatives are added to food so as
to prevent or slow down the growth of
micro-organism, such as moulds, yeasts
and bacteria in food. Preservatives can
inhibit, retard or arrest the process of
fermentation, acidification or other
deterioration of food.
There are three classes of
chemical preservatives
commonly used in foods:
Benzoates (such as sodium
benzoate)
Nitrites (such as sodium nitrite)
Sulphites (such as sulphur dioxide)
Benzoic acid in the form of its
sodium salt, constitutes one of the
most common chemical food
preservative. Sodium benzoate is a
common preservative in acid or
acidified foods such as fruit juices,
syrups, jams and jellies, sauerkraut,
pickles, preserves, fruit cocktails, etc.
The preservative sodium
 

nitrite fights harmful bacteria in

ham, salami and other processed
and cured meats and also lends
them their pink coloration. However,
under certain conditions in the
human body, nitrite can damage
cells and also morph into molecules
that cause cancer
Sulfites are preservatives and
antioxidants. They're used to keep dried
fruit like apricots from turning brown
and to prevent unwanted bacteria from
spoiling the wine. But for those who are
sensitive to them,
consuming sulfites can cause breathing
difficulties and, less commonly, hives or
other allergy-like symptoms.
A common preservative is acetic acid,
which is used to stop bacterial growth in
dressings, sauces, cheese and pickles.
However, new research shows that a
small amount of acetic acid does not
have the intended effect, but rather the
opposite -- it increases the amount of
toxin from the harmful bacteria in
the food.
1.Napoleon- began the search for a better mechanism of food preservation.
2. Scurvy-a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C, characterized by swollen bleeding
gums and the opening of previously healed wounds, which particularly affected poorly
nourished sailors until the end of the 18th century.
3. Food preservation is a set of techniques or methods to prevent food from spoilage.
4.Nicolas Appert He observed that food heated in sealed containers was preserved as long
as the container remained unopened or the seal did not leak.
5. Irradiation is the process of treating food products using x-rays, gamma rays, or electron
beam in order to eliminate organisms that cause foodborne illnesses
6. Food additives are chemicals added to foods to keep them fresh or to enhance their
colour, flavour or texture.
7. The winner was a French chemist and considered to be the father of canning named
Nicolas Appert
8. Preservatives are added to food so as to prevent or slow down the growth of micro-
organism, such as moulds, yeasts and bacteria in food. 
9. Drying inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold through the removal of water.
10. Acetic acid is used to stop bacterial growth in dressings, sauces, cheese and pickles.
11. Sulfites are preservatives and antioxidants. They're used to keep dried fruit like apricots
from turning brown and to prevent unwanted bacteria from spoiling the wine.
12. Sodium benzoate is a common preservative in acid or acidified foods such as fruit
juices, syrups, jams and jellies, sauerkraut, pickles, preserves, fruit cocktails.
13-20 8 ways in preserving foods