Food Preservation and Processing

Flashcards on Food Preservation Techniques

Food Preservation

Involves different food processing steps to maintain food quality at a desired level to achieve maximum benefits and nutrition values.

Food Spoilage

Could be caused by a wide range of chemical and biochemical reactions, leading to deterioration of foods.

Drying (Dehydration)

A food preservation process that removes water from a solid or liquid food through evaporation to inhibit microorganism activity.

Pasteurization

A physical preservation technique where food is heated to a specific temperature to destroy spoilage-causing microorganisms and enzymes.

Thermal Sterilization

A heat treatment process that completely destroys all viable microorganisms, resulting in a longer shelf life.

Retorting

Packaging food in a container followed by sterilization, typically used for foods with a pH above 4.5.

Aseptic Packaging

Involves placing commercially sterilized food in a sterilized package which is then subsequently sealed in an aseptic environment.

Freezing

Slows down physiochemical and biochemical reactions by forming ice from water below freezing temperature, inhibiting microbial growth.

Chilling

The process of maintaining the temperature of foods between -1 and 8 °C to reduce biochemical and microbiological changes.

Irradiation

A physical process where substance undergoes a specific dose of ionizing radiation to disinfest, improve shelf life, and inactivate spoilage organisms.

High-Pressure Processing (HPP)

A preservation method involving pressure application up to 900 MPa to kill microorganisms, inactivate spoilage, and retain food characteristics.

Pulsed Electric Field (PEF)

A technique where food is placed between electrodes and exposed to a pulsed high voltage field to inactivate microorganisms.

Fermentation

A biological process using microorganisms to decompose carbohydrates, enhancing nutritional value and shelf life of foods.

Chemical Preservatives

Substances capable of inhibiting, retarding, or arresting the growth of microorganisms or any other deterioration.

Food Additives

Natural or synthetic chemical substances intentionally used during processing, packaging, or storage of foods to bring desired changes.