What Is Food Preservation Essay

Food can be classified as fast food, junk food, whole food, organic food out of these whole food is unprocessed, unrefined so it has very short shelf life because most foods contain enzymes or natural chemicals, such as acids or alcohols, that cause them to begin to lose characteristics almost immediately after harvest or preparation. In addition, a several of environmental factors, such as heat and the presence of microorganisms, acts to change foodstuffs in ways that may harm the food product so food should be processed to increase its shelf life because food is vital for survival. Food preservation is one of the oldest technologies used by human beings to avoid its spoilage. Different methods have been found and developed for this purpose such as boiling, freezing & refrigeration, pasteurizing, dehydrating, pickling. Some of these are traditional methods. Certain chemical substances are also added into the food to avoid spoilage of food, such substances are called food preservatives.

Food preservatives are a substance or a chemical that is added to products such as food, beverages, pharmaceutical drugs and many other products to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or by undesirable chemical changes.

Food preservation traditionally had three goals: the

Many natural preservatives like salt and sugar are often used in preserving canned fruits, processed meats as well as various types of canned or jarred vegetables whereas chemical preservatives like benzoic acid and sorbets are used to prevent the growth of microorganism. Most recent preservatives i.e. artificial preservatives revolutionized the food industry in term of flavor, quality and storage. Food manufacturers use an array of food preservatives to keep food fresh and stable, as well as to extend shelf life and prevent natural