ABSTRACT
Food preservation involves the action taken to maintain foods with the desired properties or nature for as long as possible. This chapter provides an overview of food preservation methods, emphasizing the following: use of chemicals and microbes; control of water, structure, and atmosphere; use of heat and energy; and enhanced preservation by indirect approaches. It discusses the factors that need to be considered in order to satisfy the present and future demands of consumers and law-enforcing authorities. Mechanical, physical, chemical, and microbial effects are leading causes of food deterioration and spoilage. Preservation methods start with a full analysis and understanding of whole food chain, including growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, and distribution; thus an integrated approach needs to be applied. The use of chemicals in foods is a well-known method of food preservation. Wide varieties of chemicals or additives are used in food preservation to control pH, as antimicrobes and antioxidants, and to provide food functionality as well as preservation action.
