Food preservation operations
Food preservation is the process used to preserve food for a longer period, as food quickly spoils as a result of being affected by physical conditions such as heat, cold, humidity, air, dust, etc., and by microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi.
Food spoilage
Food spoilage means a change in the composition, color, smell and nutritional value of food
This change causes a decrease in the nutritional value and the occurrence of diseases for the consumer because it has become
It contains toxic compounds that are harmful to the body
Food spoils due to being affected by heat or moisture, as food interacts with temperatures, which leads to a change in its composition.
Food is also spoiled by microorganisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye
Which secretes enzymes and compounds on foods, which leads to their change and spoilage
And because of the occurrence of pollutants on it, such as dust, foreign materials and impurities
Food preservation operations
As we talked about, the causes of food spoilage are physical variables and microorganisms
Preservation operations are practically to preserve food from temperature changes
And microorganisms and other pollutants, and there are many processes for preservation, according to the type of food to be preserved
Preserving food by heating
Heating food preservation process
It is the process of heating food to kill all microorganisms attached to it
Where raw food contains microorganisms that are not visible to the naked eye
It cannot be separated by filtration or anything else, but rather killed by heat
Where these organisms die when food is heated to a certain degree
Heating and cooling quickly
And the degree of killing of organisms
Therefore, food is affected by the increase in temperature
Refrigeration of food
As we talked about in the previous paragraph, food is heated to kill microorganisms
But there are microorganisms that die when the temperature drops and therefore cryopreservation is used
Where food is cooled to the point where microorganisms die
Preserving food with chemicals
It is the process of killing microorganisms with chemicals, as these substances interact with and kill microorganisms
Preserving food by drying
Moisture and water are a fertile environment for bringing in microorganisms and interacting with them to spoil food, contaminate it and change its composition
The drying method is used to get rid of moisture and water, thus preserving food from organisms for a minute
For its inability to destroy food due to the lack of water and moisture
Preserving food with preservatives
Preservatives are chemicals added to foods to preserve them
Where it works to save it from microorganisms and to prevent oxidation and the interaction of food with other compounds