Food Preservation Methods

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Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food to stop or slow down Food spoilage, loss of quality, edibility or nutritional value and thus allow for longer food storage. Preservation usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi (such as yeasts), and other micro-organisms. Method | How does it work? | Example of method: | Drying (e.g. freeze-drying, spray-drying, sun-drying) | Drying basically dehydrates or removes the moisture from the food and this simple action inhibits the growth of bacteria, mould and yeast. It slows down the enzyme action without deactivating them. | Sun-Dried tomatoes Fruits(apricots, Raisins) | Freezing/ Refrigerating | In the case of refrigeration, the idea is to slow bacterial action to a crawl so that it takes food much longer (perhaps a week or two, rather than half a day) to spoil. In the case of freezing, the idea is to stop bacterial action altogether. Frozen bacteria are completely inactive. | meats fruit (generally goes mushy when frozen) vegetables beverages | Canning | In canning, you boil the food in the can to kill all the bacteria and seal the can to prevent any new bacteria from getting in. Since the food in the can is completely sterile, it does not spoil. Once you open the can, bacteria enter and begin attacking the food, so you have to refrigerate the contents after opening. | Tinned peaches Plum Tomatoes Honey Tuna | Dehydrating | Since most bacteria die or become completely inactive when dried, dried foods kept in air-tight containers can last quite a long time. | Powdered milk Powdered soups and sauces Pasta Instant Rice | Freeze-Drying | Freeze-drying is a special form of drying that removes all moisture and tends to have less of an effect on a food's taste than normal dehydration does. In freeze-drying,

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