History of Food Preservation, Essay Example

The origin of food preservation

It is believed that the Middle East and the culture of oriental dynamically dried their foods in the hot sun as early as 12,000 BC; subsequently, cultures left more proof, and every culture had a diverse approach to drying their foods. The surprising reality about preserving foods is that it allowed each culture at almost every moment (Anderson 95). To subsist, the ancient people had to connect with nature. In frozen environments, the ancient man froze seal meats on the ice; in the tropical climate, the ancient man dried their foods in the sun.

Food preservation entailed food processing actions that inhibit the growth of microorganisms like yeast and slow down the oxidations of fat that causes rancidity. Food perseveration might also comprise a procedure that inhibits visual decaying, as enzymatic browning responds in an apple after it is cut during food preparation. By preserving food, food wastes might be managed drastically, which is a vital approach to decaying the cost of production and increasing the effectiveness of the food system. Enhanced food safety, as well as nutrition, might contribute towards ecological sustainability. For instance, it will lead to a reduction of the ecological effect of food productions.

Many procedures aimed at preserving food entail more than food preservation methodologies. Fruits preservation by turning it into a jam, for instance, entails boiling and selling in an airtight jar to avoid recontaminations. Diverse food preservation approaches have diverse effects on the quality of foods and food systems (Badiane and Delgado 129). Some custom approaches to preserving foods have depicted lower energy inputs and carbon footprints contrasted to the contemporary approach. Some of the approaches to preserving food are known to create carcinogens.

Comparing AND contrasting the methods and techniques used to preserve food in antiquity and now.

Traditional Methods of Preserving food

Drying

In the past, the sun and the wind was the natural method of drying foods. Proof shows that the vulture of oriental ad the Middle East nation dried their foods in the hot sun. Furthermore, Romans seed to dry their foods using a special “dispensa” made to dry herbs and vegetables. In 1875, drying and the use of salt and sugars were the main approaches to food preservation. In the year 1854, it was approximated that Maine could provide the country with dried apples. The rightness of fruits creation from 1807 to 1875 increased the export of dried fruits produced in the US.

Afterward, the latest drying procedure and types of machinery increased the outputs for the local and international market. In the meantime, caning and refrigeration emerged and were widely used in fruits, preservations, vegetables, meats, and other foods for human usage. The latest approach of food perseveration declined the needs of the dried foods, which turn out to be costly frailties.

Freezing                    

Freezing was the ideal food preservation approach in the cold areas. A cave or cool stream was used to preserve the food. In the US, freezing was renovated early, initially with icehouses and afterward the use of iceboxes. In early 1800, powered refrigerators were introduced and immediately used by many people in their households.

Fermenting

Until the beer was invented using come grains of barley being left in the rain, the microorganism fermented the sugar into alcohol. Fermentation not just may preserve food, built it, and create more nourishing food and was employed to make more edible food from less the preferred ingredients. The microorganism accountable for fermentation might produce vitamins during the fermentation process. This produces an extremely nourish and products from the ingredient.

Fermentation is the natural process of chemical changes in foods, which, as observed by the change, was employed many years ago. Fermented fruit lead to wines safe beverages in regions of unsteady supply of water. Another fomentation s the vinegar that was important for pickling meat, fish, and fruit and vegetable—the Japanese and later on the Germans and other European societies fermented cabbages (Desrosier and James 188).  Also, the Egyptians created a raised sourdough pieces of bread, another outcome of fermentation. In some regions and at the time of the year, individuals preserved foods by freezing them, but many years later, before freezing being famous though artificial process in every part of the globe.

Pickling

This process is preserving foods such as vinegar and other acids, which might have originated when foods were placed in wines or beers to preserve them because both depict a low PH level. There was a huge increase in food perseveration in the 16^th century as a result of the arrival of new kinds of foods in Europe

Salting

The early salting was the dehydration; early culture used this approach to aid in desiccating their foods. Salting was frequent by selecting raw salt from diverse sources. In 1800, it was realized that many cultures preferred the approach of food preservation since they realized that sat gave some red coloring rather than the normal unattractive grey color. As a result, many cultures preferred the use of salt as a food preservative approach.

Modern Methods of Preserving food

Pulsed electric field treatment

Preserving bulk food using pulsed electric fields is a new trend that opens the latest perfections in food industries. This procedure might be applied consistently through the products, and it is relevant for the pasteurization of pumbles at reduced temperature. With a strength of 14-31kVcm, microbial cells are deactivated by electroporation of their membrane devoid of substantial temperature increase and any change of short pulse being employed (Joardder and Masud 73). This method of food preservation depends on the microbial actions of strong electrical impulses. When electrical impulses are applied, the osmotic balances of the microorganism exiting are supplied. If the processing environment is selected precisely, microorganisms are deactivated.  Single pulses ought to determine a reduction in plate count surpassing five orders of magnitudes.

Cooling/Freezing

The actions of microorganisms and enzymes are modified when foods are frozen, permitting foods and nutrients to be preserved for quite some time. As a result of refrigeration, microbial and enzyme activities are substantially reduced in temperatures of 5 degrees, which is why refrigeration is an effective way to preserve food. While some cultures prefer using caves to preserve their foods and aristocrats created cool houses, most day foods had access to neither. Refrigeration is thus a perfect contemporary approach and an ideal manner of preserving raw foods.

Canning

A lot of custom cooking is preferred using glass jar canning. In Europe, the actions of canning homegrown foods in glass jars keep on being practiced till the 1970s. While in Russia, many cultures still have small gardens where they grow most of their foods depending on canning to preserve their foods. Canning spread widely, and in the year 1800, “peter Durand” introduced a can of iron coated with tins; present can are mainly made of steels, with a thin coat of tins, and, normally, a coating lining. Commercial canning started in the US in the year 1819 and seafood in the year 1820. The procession of cooking took nearly 5 hours in ancient times, but this was drastically reduced in 1860 when “Isaac Solomon” added chloride to the water, which raised the boiling point of water. The introduction of pressure cookers in 1874 was an even much more significant development, allowing much more drastic processing. The commercial caning firms afterward introduced machines that might do many jobs that many people initially did by hand.

Sugar

In extreme concentrations, sugar and the free moisture in foods prevents the growth of microbial. For this to be effective, much sugar is needed. A comparatively latest approach of preserving foods provided that sugar was customarily a rare commodity and costly ingredients that few would manage for day-to-day food preservation.

The changes to food preservation techniques

Ancient man learned to collect naturally preserved foods and aid nature in preserving processes before agriculture and animal farming. The ancient man stored nuts and seeds to be consumed during the winter period and realized that meat and fish might be persevered by drying in the sun. After the recovery of fire, cooking made foods more appealing and was preservation support, because heating killed some of the microorganism and enzyme that causes decay. Smoking meats and fish as an approach of preserving it emerged from cooking (Rahman 175). After developing agriculture, the ancient periods, or the latest Stone Age period, human beings had a more reliant surplus for perseveration. The Native Americans survived on dried corns and beans that they had stored for winter consumption; the pain Indians cut the buffalo meats into a thin strip and tied it in the sun on a wood frame.

12,000 BC: Sun Drying

During the 12,000 BC, the sun and the wind was the natural method of drying foods. Proof shows that the vulture of oriental ad the Middle East nation dried their foods in the hot sun. Furthermore, Romans seed to dry their foods with the use of special “dispensa” which were made to dry herbs and vegetables in

500 BC: Jam

Jam and jelly was a famous food perseveration approach in 500 BC; the ancient Greeks and Romans realized that submerging food in honey would uphold them. Even though it is hard to compare how the process started, the jam has been employed from the time of the merchant in fruits preservation. It was discovered when traders turned the rotten fruits into something important rather than being a waste. The ripen fruits were

1400 AD: Curing

During 1400 AD, it was realized that storing foods in slat solutions might increase their durability during middle age. Like the Egyptians and the Romans, the earliest cultures employed the salting process as a method of food preservations, but like every other approach, this methodology proved effective in curing and storing meat. A piece of meat would be inserted in a salt solution, “brine.” This trigger a procedure called “osmosis,” which leads to the shift of water contents from the meat into the salt solutions

1784 AD: Refrigeration

Refrigeration is a perfect contemporary approach and an ideal manner of preserving raw foods. The actions of microorganisms and enzymes are modified when foods are frozen, permitting foods and nutrients to be preserved for quite some time. As a result of refrigeration, microbial and enzyme activities are substantially reduced in temperatures of 5 degrees, which is why refrigeration is an effective way to preserve food (Toldra 123). While some cultures prefer using caves to preserve their foods and aristocrats created cool houses, most day foods had access to neither.

1809 AD: Canning

During the period 1809 AD, a lot of custom cooking preferred using the glass jar canning. In Europe, the actions of canning homegrown foods in glass jars keep on being practiced till the 1970s. While in Russia, many cultures still have small gardens where they grow most of their foods depending on canning to preserve their foods.

1871 AD: Pasteurization

The approach of food preservation was introduced by “Louis Pasteur” a French scientist, who realized a connection between a microorganism and the spoil of foods. This approach of food preservation was not used until the start of the 20^th century.

1940 AD: Dehydration

The problem like the constantly changing weather trends and inadequacy of sufficiency food supply mainly lead to the invention of the food dehydration approach. It has its begging in the early 1940s that entailed the drying of food products that might be simply getting dehydrated.

2000+ AD: Chemical Preservative

This approach entailed the use of additive like vinegar to kill bacteria ad microbe that causes decompositions, it as well inhibits enzymes activity, hence guaranteeing prolonged food live—using chemicals as a preservative by pre-historic man, who preserved and Improved the flavors of their meats by smoking (those who lived under the caves) or by submerging in water form early many living near oceans. With improvement as time goes by, some preservatives ad additives like salt and sugar started to date.

Why changes were made to how food used to be preserved

 The presence of health regulatory organizations have played a role

In collaboration with food and agriculture institutions of the united nation, World health organizations are accountable for ascertaining the risk to human health from food additives. Independent examines the risk appraisal of food additives. Global expert group. Only those food preservatives that this body has approved are deemed not risky to human beings we approved for use (William Shurtleff 87). And this is how changes were made to how the food we’re used to be preserved to a modern approach

Business decisions

The new business model leads to change in food preservation methods gradually. For instance, a business entity that has invested in seafood required a food preservation model that would have the food preserved for quite a long time, prompting a shift to the contemporary approach of preserving foods, such as the use of canning method or the use of pickling.

How food preservation can be improved today

Consumer demand for superior food with fresh taste and nutrition has led to a substantial interest in creating the latest food processing methods. Interest in creating the latest food processing methodologies has increased drastically over the last decade, mainly due to demand from users of fresh, quality foods. Consumers are also becoming informed of the risks of food-borne disease and are keen on the safety of their foods supplies improvements in non-thermal approaches have been advanced by academics and industrial in an effort of meeting the challenges of producing safe processed foods of superior quality (Zeuthen and Bøgh-Sørensen 127). Therefore, the firms must improve the production of quality foods through the use of non-thermal processing technology. The safety and microbiological standards of processed foods with this technology nonetheless require to be confirmed using “pulse electric fields.”

Preservatives of any sort have been employed for many years. Smoking and salting are two of the latest approaches used though many other approaches are being used presently. Preservatives might be divided into segments as per their functions ;( a) those that can manage or control microbe growths, and (b) those used to manage deteriorative chemical responses like rancidity. Salts are some of the vital microbes that inhibit used ingrowths. Sodium benzoate is especially an effective preservative against yeasts and bacteria’s in high acid food like sauce and fruits. It is as well known for its use in carbonated drinks

Action to be undertaken to reduce the negative side effects that come from the chemicals used in food preservation

Natural Preservatives

These are an ingredient that is employed to preserve food as it is. The chemical content is not changed, and they are not mixed with any artificial items. These as well in many cases, have anti-oxidants components. It is understood that anti-oxidants delay the process of aging of foods to improve their durability. Naturally, coring preservatives comprise oil, sugar, and salt. Pickle might last for many years due to its potential salt and oil mix that act like a natural preservative to the vegetable chunk. Conclusion: There are many approaches employed to preserve food such as curing, freeing, caning, and fermenting.

Synthetic or Chemical Preservative

This preservative is also employed to postpone the decay and contaminations in food, built this is artificially created or artificial in nature. Frequently, this is also an additive on food labels, so a consumer should always check the bale in the food product for the expiry period before buying it. To guarantee that the perseverative is helping to make food safe, their usage is subject to premarket safety appraisal and approval process (Toldra 49). This institution is accountable for safety appraisals, approval and control, and labeling of preservatives.

Safety appraisal of food preservatives is based on appraisals of every existing toxicological information, comprising observation in human and animal models. From the existing information, n utmost additive level, which depicts no obvious toxic effects, is established. This is termed “no observed adverse effect level” and is employed to establish the “acceptable daily intakes,” which provides a bigger margin of safety and infer to the amount of food additive that might be consumed daily in the diets, over some time devoid of any negative implications on health.

There has exit some public outcry that some food additive dep9octs some adverse effects. Even though keen examinations depict that many are based on fallacy instead of recognizable extreme reaction. Amongst the food additive reported to have an extreme effect are some preservatives from the groups of “soliciting” agencies, which comprise of supplies additive and many inorganics that might trigger asthma traits by peering difficulties ion breathing insensitive coughs. (Rahman 68) The relevant institution has provided a comprehensive labelling process for food additives to permit users to make an informed verdict concerning food containing preservatives. Laws also provide that additives are labeled on the packing materials by sections with either name or electronic umbers. In conclusion, preservatives are presently important in ensuring that the safety and assortment of diverse food varieties are existing. They work by delaying the decaying time of the food and avoiding any alteration in their taste. Their appraisals and usage in food varieties are strictly managed.

Why companies do not opt for these methods

Many firms prefer using chemical preservatives since this approach presently is deemed safe for many consumers. Consuming fat foods contains preservatives that will negatively impact the long-term health implications of people. Nonetheless, many companies still believe that these health effects are connected to chemical preservatives within the advised amount. The reason may firm prefer this approach is that the controlling body considers it as safe, in the amounts that it is permitted in the food products. “Safe” for food additives implies “a reasonable” conviction in the mind of skillful experts that the content is safe under the proposed condition of use (Kelvinator Corporation 73). However, many consumers still have some concerns about many companies using chemicals to preserve their foods.

Works Cited

Anderson, Rory. Survival 101 Raised Bed Gardening AND Food Storage: The Complete Survival Guide To Growing Your Own Food, Food Storage And Food Preservation in 2020. 2020.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55246612-survival-101-raised-bed-gardening-and-food-storage-the-complete-survival

Badiane, Ousmane, and Christopher L. Delgado. A 2020 Vision for Food, Agriculture, and the Environment in Sub-Saharan Africa. Intl Food Policy Res Inst, 2002.https://books.google.com/books/about/A_2020_Vision_for_Food_Agriculture_and_t.html?id=aa90_LYyWj4C

Chawengkijwanich, Chamorn, and Phikunthong Kopermsub. “Coating Technology for Food Preservation.” Progress in Food Preservation, 2012, pp. 111-127.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230551779_Coating_Technology_for_Food_Preservation

Desrosier, Norman W., and Desrosier N. James. The Technology of Food Preservation. Avi Publishing Company, 1977.https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Technology_of_Food_Preservation.html?id=mLVTAAAAMAAJ

Joardder, Mohammad U., and Mahadi H. Masud. “A Brief History of Food Preservation.” Food Preservation in Developing Countries: Challenges and Solutions, 2019, pp. 57-66.https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030115296

Kelvinator Corporation. An Authentic History of Food Preservation Through the Ages: From Cave to Kelvinator. 1934.https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/ead/pdf/century0502.pdf

Rahman, M. S. Handbook of Food Preservation. CRC P, 2007.https://www.routledge.com/Handbook-of-Food-Preservation/Rahman/p/book/9781574446067

Toldra, Fidel. Advances in Food and Nutrition Research. Elsevier, 2021.https://www.elsevier.com/books/advances-in-food-and-nutrition-research/toldra/978-0-12-824580-4

William Shurtleff, Akiko Aoyagi. History of the Natural and Organic Foods Movement (1942-2020): Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook. Soyinfo Center, 2020.https://books.google.com/books/about/History_of_the_Natural_and_Organic_Foods.html?id=hQPcDwAAQBAJ

Zeuthen, Peter, and Leif Bøgh-Sørensen. Food Preservation Techniques. Elsevier, 2003 https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9781855735309/food-preservation-techniques