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Top 10 Food Preservation Techniques

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We know that food does not last forever, and the main cause of food spoilage is microorganisms. These living beings contaminate our food, being they are harmful to our health. Others are not harmful, but they still break down food and make it undesirable to consume.

To preserve food, we need to inhibit or stop the growth of microorganisms that will shorten the shelf life of food. In this article we are going to see what are the ten of the most remarkable conservation techniques of the human being.

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Top 10 ways to preserve food

Beyond the use of the refrigerator or freezer, there are other very important techniques to preserve food that have been decisive in our evolutionary history. Not everything is the cold of these appliances in terms of food preservation.

Next we are going to present different food preservation techniques that we have developed to preserve our food.

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1. Dehydration

Dehydration is a strategy to reduce the water content of a food. The less water in a food, the more trouble microbes have to survive and multiply in it.

The sun and low-temperature wood-fired ovens have been the most traditional methods, although today more modern machines that emit air and heat are used.

Raisins, dates, and dried apricots are examples of dried fruits. In addition, if we remove water, the proportion of natural sugars in the food is higher. The high sugar content of a food also inhibits microbial growth and subsequent spoilage.

2. Jams and jellies

If, in the case of dried fruit, water is removed seeking to have less water, in this case the opposite happens. In the case of jams and jelly, sugar is added to the fruit to increase the concentration of sugars.

Sugar has a high affinity with water and its high concentration also prevents microorganisms from growing, so jams and jellies can last for months and even years.

3. Oil

Oil is an effective preservative agent because it reduces oxygen availability from aerobic bacteria, that is, those that use oxygen to survive and replicate. Its ability to isolate the surrounding environment limits possible contamination from volatile foods.

Unfortunately it does not have the ability to have an effect on anaerobic bacteria, so this technique is always associated with others such as cooking.

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4. Empty

Vacuum packaging is a technique that is based on drastically reducing the fact that a food is exposed to oxygen in the air. Thanks to low permeable plastic films, the product is insulated and the air is removed from the inside of the packaging.

It is generally applied to fresh or treated meats and the shelf life is lengthened. However, microorganisms that grow under anaerobic conditions (without oxygen) can remain and act. Combining it with the cold of the fridge is the best option.

5. Smoked

Foods exposed to smoke achieve a longer shelf life and a tasty taste. This technique was discovered at the time that the human being began to dominate the fire.

The smoke creates a dry stream that causes the food to lose water. In addition, smoked products acquire that characteristic flavor thanks to certain substances that come from wood.

6. Vinegar or pickle

Vinegar is very useful for preserving food because it is an acid that inhibits the growth of many organisms. While they don't prevent all bacteria, acidic environments prevent many microorganisms from surviving.

Soaking food in an acidic environment like vinegar makes it safe to eat certain types of food for very long periods of time, up to months or years.

It is often combined with the use of salt or brine so that the food is more dehydrated and can facilitate the preservation process with vinegar. Pickles, beets, olives, mushrooms, and carrots are some examples.

7. Fermentation

In fermentation, it is favored that microorganisms that are beneficial to us can grow in a food, preventing others from doing so. For example, if we enhance the action of certain lactobacilli and streptococci in fresh milk, we will transform something so nutritious but perishable into yogurt, which lasts much longer.

So vinegar isn't the only acid used to preserve food. In dairy fermentation the pH also drops and the food gains storage time, since other microorganisms cannot compete with those already present in these conditions.

In alcoholic fermentation, instead of having a drop in pH, what occurs is that the final product contains alcohol. Saccharomyces Cerevisiae is a yeast that produces alcohol in its metabolism. It can survive in environments that contain moderate concentrations of the generated alcohol itself, but most microorganisms have it much more difficult.

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8. Pasteurization

Pasteurization is a thermal process applied to liquid foods, as many microbes die at high temperatures. The goal of pasteurization is to drastically reduce the presence of germs without them disappearing. Sterilization, on the other hand, does kill all organisms that are sensitive to heat.

The pasteurization procedure is based on subjecting the liquid food to an injection of steam under pressure of less than one second, which reaches 150ºC. What is done next is to chill the food quickly and seal it in a food safe condition. This makes very sensitive products such as milk or juices last much longer.

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9. Salting

Salting is the action of salting a food so that it is suitable for future consumption. The main effect of salting is the partial dehydration of food, the reinforcement of taste and the inhibition of some bacteria.

During the last stages of the process, elements for flavoring, such as cinnamon or dill, are also often used and can be accompanied by fermentation processes. This method can be done by applying the salt or dry brine directly to the product surface or by injecting brine into the tissues.

Meat and fish are the products in which this technique is most applied, although it could also be used in fruits and vegetables.

10. Herbs or plants

Certain plants are used as a resource to preserve food. Cinnamon, pepper, cloves, lemon, garlic, onion, rosemary, green anise, sage, turmeric, ginger or oregano are examples of this.

Each plant has its specific compounds that help fight certain microorganisms. For example, in garlic and onions we find different flavonoids or sulfur compounds, which slow down the oxidation of many foods and prevent many pathogens from growing.

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Bibliographic references

  • Forsythe, S.J. and Hayes, P.R. (2002). Food hygiene, microbiology and HACCP. Zaragoza: Acribia.

  • García Fajardo, I. (2008). Safe food. Basic guide on food safety. Madrid: Díaz de Santos.

  • Wood, B.J.B. (1985). Microbiology of Fermented Foods. London: Elsevier.

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