Preservation of Foods

Aim

• The aim of preservation is to prevent food spoilage as a

result of growth of micro-organisms and breakdown of
food by enzymes.
• Changing raw products into more stable forms that can
be stored for longer periods of time.
• Allows any food to be available any time of the year in
any area of the world.
General Principle
• The principles underlying methods of preservation used in the
past are still the same as today.
• Some of the factors affecting the growth of micro - organisms can
be manipulated in different ways to prolong the life of the food
product.
History
 1782—Canning of vinegar was introduced by a Swedish chemist
 1843—Sterilization by steam was first attempted by I. Winslow in Maine
 1874—The first extensive use of ice in transporting meat at sea was
begun.
 1880—The pasteurization of milk was begun in Germany
 1955—Sorbic acid was approved for use as a food preservative.
 1990—Irradiation of poultry was approved in the United States.
Temperature
Chilling or freezing the food to retard
growth of micro-organisms and inhibit
enzyme activity. Alternatively, heating the
food to destroy micro-organisms and
prevent enzyme activity.
Oxygen
Food kept in an airtight container will
deprive micro-organisms of oxygen and
prevent contamination.
Moisture
Reducing the moisture content of the food to make water, (which is
essential for growth), unavailable to micro-organisms. Alternatively,
placing food in a sugary solution will make water unavailable for the
growth of micro-organisms.
pH level
Placing food in an acidic or alkaline solution will inhibit the growth of
micro-organisms.
Food spoilage
• Ultimately, all natural foods will spoil and even those which have been
preserved in one form or another lose their color, flavor, texture, and
nutritive value.
• Based on their perish ability, foods may be classified as follow:
1. Perishable foods : Those that spoil readily like milk, fish, meat, poultry,
ripe succulent fruits, and leafy vegetables.

2. Semi-perishable foods : Those that can keep for a limited period of time
like onions, garlic, eggs, and roots crops.

3. Relatively nonperishable foods : Those that keep for almost an

unlimited period of time like rice, dried mature beans, mature corns, and
many mature nuts and dry legumes or pulses.
As soon as food is harvested or manufactured into a
product it starts to change. This is caused by two
main processes:
• autolysis – self destruction, caused by enzymes
present in the food;
• microbial spoilage – caused by the growth of
bacteria, yeasts and moulds.
Food Storage
• Primitive and tedious methods
Drying
Salting
Sugaring
Pickling
Cold
storage
• Canning
• Dehydration
Drying
 Used to preserve fruit, vegetables, meats, and fish.
 Mainly used in the south – warmer climate.
 Causes the loss of many natural vitamins.
Salting
 Used extensively for pork, beef, and fish.
 Bit costly due to required high amount of salt.
 Done mainly in cool weather followed by smoking.
Sugaring
 Used to preserve fruits for the winter.
 Jams and jellies.
 Expensive because sugar was scarce commodity in
early America.
Pickling
 Fermenting
 Used to preserve vegetables.
 Use mild salt and vinegar brine.
 Increases the salt content and reduces the vitamin
content of the food.
 Oldest form of food preservation.
Control of Microorganisms in Foods

1. Control by Low Temperature

Chilling
Freezing
Thawing
2. Control by High Temperature
Heat penetration and Thermal processing
Pasturization
Thermal inactivation
 Control by Low Temperature
• Foods are stored at low temperature in different ways to extend
their shelf life. Manyfresh fruits and vegetables are kept at
temperatures between 10 and 20r C or lower, mainly to reduce
their metabolic rate. Microorganisms to which these products are
susceptible, namely yeasts and molds (and some bacteria), can
grow at this temper_x0002_ature. Maintaining a low relative
humidity to prevent moisture build-up on the food surface is very
important to reduce their growth. Highly perishable products are
generally stored at a low temperature, below 7ºC, often in
combination with other preservation methods.
Chilling
• This is used in retail stores where the foods are kept over ice; the
surface in contact with the ice can reach between 0 and 1r C.
Fresh fish, seafood, meats, cut fruits, vegetable salads (in bags),
different types of ready-to-eat salads (prepared at the retail store),
salad dressing (high pH, low caloric), sous vide, and some ethnic
foods (e.g., tofu) are stored by this method. The trend is
increasing. Temperature fluctuation (due to the size of the
container or melting of ice), duration of storage (fresh or several
days), and cross-contamination (raw fish, shrimp, oysters, and
ready-to-eat fish salads in an open container in the same display
case at the retail store) can cause microbiological problems,
especially from foodborne pathogens.
Freezing
• The minimum temperature used in home freezers (in the refrigerator) is –
20rC, a temperature at which most of the free water in a food remains in a
frozen state. Dry ice (–78rC) and liquid nitrogen (–196rC) can also be used
for freezing; they are used for rapid freezing (instant freezing) and not for
only freezing a food to that low temperature. Following freezing, the
temperature of the foods is maintained ca. –20 to –30rC. Depending on the
type, foods can be stored at refrigerated temperature for months or even
more than a year. Raw produce (vegetables, fruits), meat, fish, processed
products, and cooked products (ready-to-eat after thawing and warming) are
preserved by freezing. Microorganisms do not grow at –20rC in frozen foods.
Instead, microbial cells die during frozen storage. However, the survivors can
multiply in the unfrozen foods. Accidental thawing or slow thawing can
facilitate growth of survivors (spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms).
Spores can also germinate and outgrow, depending on the temperature and
time following thawing. Enzymes, released by the dead microbial cells can
reduce the acceptance quality of the food.
Thawing
a) Thaw food thoroughly before cooking. Frozen or partially frozen
food will require longer cooking time. The external surfaces of this
food could be cooked, but the inner portion might remain uncooked
and harmful bacteria within the food may not be killed.
b) Check for ice crystals in the food using your hand or a skewer. If
food is not fully thawed, continue to thaw the food until no ice
crystals are present. Test again before cooking or reheating. For
poultry, check that the joints are flexible.
c) Cook thawed meat right away and do not refreeze thawed food.
Improper handling and refreezing of food may lead to the growth of
bacteria.
d) Thaw only the amount of food you require for cooking.
Three Ways to Thaw Food Safely
a) Thawing in the Refrigerator or Chiller Room
i. Plan ahead for sufficient time and space to defrost small amounts of
food in the refrigerator. If you have limited space in your chiller,
apportion food into smaller quantities before freezing. Place the required
amount in the chiller when you need to thaw the food.
ii. Thaw food in the refrigerator or chiller room at all times until it is used or
consumed. Thawing food in the refrigerator or chiller room will keep it at
a safe temperature.
iii. Thaw raw food at the lowest shelf of the refrigerator or chiller room or
below ready-to-eat food to prevent cross-contamination. Place food on a
tray or in a container to prevent drippings from meat and poultry onto
other food.
b) Thawing in Microwave Oven
i. Place food in the microwave oven on the ‘defrost’ setting.
ii. Stir or turn food over to facilitate thawing.
iii. Cook the food immediately after thawing. Some areas of the food
may
become warm and begin to cook during the thawing process,
bringing
the food to the “Temperature Danger Zone”.
iv. Refrain from thawing large food items in the microwave.
v. Clean the microwave thoroughly after using it for thawing.
c) Thawing under Running Water or in Cold Water
i. Place food to be thawed in a clean leak-proof package or plastic bag.
Put the package in a clean container and thaw the food under running
water, or submerge the package in a container of clean tap water,
changing the water every 30 minutes as the food continues to thaw.
Do not place food directly in the sink or into container of water without
packaging it.
ii. Cook thawed food immediately.
iii. Avoid cross-contamination from water dripping off the food or
splashing onto other food, preparation surfaces and utensils.
iv. Thaw food without opening the package to prevent contamination.
v. Ensure that the sink is clean and empty before using it to thaw food
under running water. The sink should be cleaned and sanitised after
being used for thawing.
• During thawing of a frozen food (such as an uncooked
chicken), rapid thawing is desirable in order to control
microbial growth, especially growth of pathogens. If the
food is thawed slowly, the temperature on the food
surface will soon increase, thereby allowing microbial
growth, even when the inside is still frozen. Refrigerated
foods have limited shelf life.
RELATIVE HEAT RESISTANCE OF MICROORGANISMS

• In general, the heat resistance of microorganisms is

related to their optimum growth temperatures.
• Psychrophilic microorganisms are the most heat
sensitive, followed by mesophiles and thermophiles.
• The relative heat resistance of some bacteria and fungi
that cause spoilage of high-acid foods. Of the genus
Alicyclobacillus, A. acidoterrestris is one of the highly
resistant species found in some fruit juice products.
 RELATIVE HEAT RESISTANCE OF MICROORGANISMS

More heat resistant Less heat resistant

Sporeforming bacteria Non-sporeformers

Thermophilic sporeformers Mesophilic sporeformers

Gram-positive bacteria Gram negatives

Cocci Non-sporeforming rods

Yeast ascospores Vegetative yeasts

Asexual spores of molds Mold mycelia

Sclerotia are the most heat resistant

and sometimes survive and cause
trouble in canned fruits.
 Control by High Temperature
•Heat penetration and Thermal processing
The use of high temperatures to preserve and ensure the safety of
food is based on the effect of microbial destruction. Thermal
processing is one of the most widely used unit operations employed
in the food industry and is frequently determined as a Critical
Control Point (CCP).
The basic purpose for the thermal processing of foods is
 To reduce or destroy microbial activity
 To reduce or destroy enzyme activity
 To produce physical or chemical changes to make the food meet
a certain quality standard.
e.g. gelatenization of starch & denaturation of proteins to produce
edible food. There are a number of types of heat
processing employed by the food industry.

There are two main temperature categories employed in thermal

processing: Pasteurization and Sterilisation.
Mild processes Blanching
Pasteurisation

More severe processes Canning

Baking
Roasting
Frying
 Blanchig
• 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.
• Blanching is carried out at up to 100°C using hot water or
steam at or near atmospheric pressure.
Functions of blanching
• Reducing surface microbial contamination
• Softening vegetable tissues to facilitate filling into containers
• Removing air from intercellular spaces prior to canning
 Pasteurization
• Word pasteurization is derived from the name of an eminent French scientist
Louis Pasteur (1860)
• Pasteurization came into use on a commercial scale in the dairy industry
shortly after 1880 in Germany and Denmark

“A process applied to a product with the object of

minimizing possible health hazards arising from pathogenic
microorganisms associated with milk by heat treatment,
which is consistent with minimal chemical, physical and
sensory changes in the product”
• The term pasteurization as applied Temperature Time
to market milk refers to the
process of heating every particle 63°C For 30 min (low
temperature long time LTLT)
of milk to at least 63°C for 30 min
or 72°C for 15s or to any 72°C For 15 sec (primary high
temperature-time combination temperature short time,HTST
which is equally efficient, in a method)
properly operated equipment. After 89°C For 1.0 sec
pasteurization, the milk is 90°C For 0.5 sec
immediately cooled to 5°C or 94°C For 0.1 sec
below. 100°C For 0.01 sec
 The two groups of micro-organisms that survive pasteurisation
temperatures
Thermoduric: organisms that can survive
exposure to relatively high temperatures but do
not necessarily grow at these temperatures e.g.
Streptococcus and Lactobacillus.
Thermophilic: organisms that not only survive
relatively high temperatures but require high
temperatures for their growth.
Method for Pasteurizing

There are number of basic methods of pasteurization

widely used in the industry.
Batch (holding) Method
 Importance of Pasteurization
 To render milk safe for human consumption by destroying all the pathogenic
microorganisms.
 To improve the keeping quality of milk by killing almost all spoilage organisms
(88-99%)

Limitations of Pasteurization
 Diminishes the cream line or cream volume.
 Pasteurized milk---- increase the renneting time.
 Fails to destroy bacterial toxins
 In India, pasteurization -- not necessary as milk is invariably boiled by the
consumers