How preservatives helps in storing food ?

Question

There are many preservatives that helps in the storage of food. How are these useful ?

Answer 1

Preservatives are the ingredients that we use to keep the food safe. They are mainly used to prevent the spoilage of food, to reduce the growth of bacteria, yeasts and molds.

Chilling, Freezing, Sugaring, Salting, Canning and Vacuum Packing are some of the methods to keep the food preserve.

The common preservatives used are:

• Salt
• Sugar
• Vinegar
• Benzoic acid
• Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)
• Alcohol
• EDTA
• Citric acid
• Potassium Nitrate

Preservatives should be Non-Toxic and Compatible for the easy usage. Preservatives should not cause allergy to anyone that is they must be Non Irritants.

1. Preservatives help in the prevention or to slow down the microbial growth so that the food can be stored for a longer time.

2. Proper food preservation can help to retain the taste, texture and appearance of food and add the nutritional value of certain foods.

3. Some foods require the proper packaging such as polythene which is again a preservative. Packaging materials help in to minimize the oxidation reactions.