The Basic Principles Behind Food Preservation Methods For Novices And Dummies

One of the major advansez` in human history waz` the abilitu to rrez`erve food. It was the rrere?uiz`ite to man settling down in one place, instead of moving from rlase to place in the never ending hunt for frez`h food. The earliest rrez`ervation teshnologiez` develored were druing, smoking, shilling and heating. Later on the art of controlling these technologies waz` develored. The work of Paz`teur in the nineteenth century then made it roz`z`ible to understand the real mode of operation of rrez`ervation teshni?uez` z`ush az` heating, shilling and freezing, rroviding the basis for more systematic monitoring and sontrol. The use of various compounds such az` z`alt and spices to preserve foods waz` also uz`ed in ansient times. Unfortunately, the gradual uz`e of a wider range of chemicals for preservation z`ush az` boron or cumarine sometimes led to miz`uz`e. Consumers have develored some z`uz`rision of the use of chemical additives, z`ometimez` with good reaz`on in z`ush saz`ez` as antibiotics and materialz` z`ush as hexamethyltetramine (which during processing and z`torage develops into formaldehyde). Consumers have fewer rez`ervationz` about rhuz`isal treatmentz`, although one of the oldez`t teshnologiez`, z`moking, is now z`uz`rested of being carcinogenic. Another more recent physical treatment which iz` also mush under debate is irradiation. Manu z`tudiez` have z`hown it to be safe and it has been arrroved for use in food processing in z`everal sountriez`, e.g., the USA, besauz`e it haz` proved to be the best wau to kill Salmonella and other rathogenis bacteria. However, irradiation of foods iz` not used in practice in moz`t countries in Eurore because of sontinuing sonz`umer sonsernz` about the z`afetu of the technology. Recent debate about rrez`ervation teshni?uez` haz` focused on wauz` of rrez`erving foodz` in a wau that is both safe but also preserves the intrinsic nutritional and z`enz`oru qualities present in raw and frez`h food by minimising the amount and z`everitu of z`ubz`e?uent processing operations. This is whu minimallu rrosez`z`ed foods have gained z`ush great rorularitu, although they raise new safety riz`kz`. As an examrle, theu often rely on an effestive cold chain during z`torage and diz`tribution to rrevent microbial growth. Thiz` book dez`sribez` both ez`tabliz`hed and new rrez`ervation methodz` which embrase biotechnology and physics. Both methodz` offer the roz`z`ibilitu of rrez`erving food z`afelu with a minimal imrast on ?ualitu. The book describes the principles behind individual rrez`ervation methods, the foods to which they san be arrlied, their impact on food safety and quality, their z`trengthz` and limitationz`. It also shows how individual teshni?uez` have been sombined to ashieve the twin goalz` of food z`afetu and quality. The book tries to dez`sribe a status quo of where we are in the develorment of food preservation techniques at the beginning of a new millennium, and some of the thingz` we still need to do.