PRINCIPLES OF PRESERVATION

Principles of Food Preservation

A good method of food preservation is one that slows down or prevents altogether the action of the agents of spoilage. Also, during the process of food preservation, the food should not be damaged. In order to achieve this, certain basic methods were applied on different types of foods. For example in earlier days, in very cold weather condition, ice was used to preserve foods. Thus, very low temperature became an efficient method for preventing food spoilage. Let us now list the principles of food preservation.
1. Removal of micro-organisms or inactivating them: This is done by removing air,
water (moisture), lowering or increasing temperature, increasing the concentration of salt or sugar or acid in foods. If you want to preserve green leafy vegetables, you have to remove the water from the leaves so that micro organisms cannot survive. You do this by drying the green leaves till all the moisture evaporates.
2. Inactivating enzymes: Enzymes found in foods can be inactivated by changing their
conditions such as temperature and moisture, when you preserve peas, one of the
methods of preservations is to put them for a few minutes in boiling water. This method also known as blanching inactivates enzymes and thus, helps in preserving the food.
3. Removal of insects, worms and rats: By storing foods in dry, air tight containers the
insects, worms or rats are prevented from destroying it.