Principles of Food Preservation

Spoilage agents(bacteria, fungi etc) cause damage to food.These should be stopped to preserve food. There are different principles to check the activities of these agent and preserve food.

Note:-We have only explained you the concept of food preservation in this post, we will explain each principle in upcoming posts.

Principle 1

Autolysis (process in which food is spoiled by enzymes) in food may be stopped or delayed by destroying enzymes and by the treatment and handing of food in such a manner so as to stop the reactivity of chemically active molecules.

Principle 2

Spoilage in food as a result of activity of bacteria may be preserved or delayed by either stopping the entry of microorganisms into the food, physically removing them from the food, hindering (reducing) their growth and activity or even destroying them, if they are already present in the food.

Principle 3

Quality defects and losses in food caused by insects, rodents and birds may be controlled by proper packaging and by instituting a sustained (controlled) population control programme of such pests.

Principle 4

The deterioration in food caused by the physical phenomenon occurring during processing,handling and storage may be reduced by the development of optimal(best) handling, processing and storage conditions.