#uncat 

Main methods of food preservation:
- Temperature methods
	- Cooking
	- Canning
	- Refrigeration
	- Freezing
- Air control
	- Canning
	- Vacuum-packaging
	- MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) and CAP (Controlled Atmosphere Packaging), processes that remove or lower the amount of oxygen in the package and replace it with nitrogen, carbon dioxide to inhibit bacterial growth, and, if the package contains meat, carbon monoxide to maintain the meat's colour
- Moisture control
	- Dehydration
	- Freeze drying
- Chemical methods
	- Acidification
	- Mold/bacteria inhibition
	- Salting
- Irradiation

## Temperature control
Pasteurization (heating milk or liquids to ~65 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes) kills nearly all pathogens and most other bacteria, as does high-temperature short-time pasteurization (~71.5 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes), as does ultra-high-temperature pasteurization (for milk, 135 degrees Celsius for 1-2 seconds)
Chilling also protects the food by slowing the rate of microbial reproduction.

![[Pasted image 20250705035852.png]]
![[Pasted image 20250705035910.png]]![[Pasted image 20250705035930.png]]

## Removing the water
Microbes on food need water to reproduce, that's the rationale behind dehydrating the food: raisins, prunes, etc.
![[Pasted image 20250704233637.png]]
![[Pasted image 20250705040452.png]]

## Controlling the air flow
Most microbes need air to reproduce. This is the rationale behind vacuum packaging

## Chemical warfare
Food additives/preservatives keep your food and you safe by slowing or preventing spoilage.
Most common:
![[Pasted image 20250704234502.png]]

![[Pasted image 20250705041158.png]]

## Irradiation
Irradiation exposes food to electron beams or to gamma radiation and destroys microbes and insects on plants, as well as slowing the rate at which some plants ripen.

## Improving food quality
Food processing can also improve the quality of your food, for example, by intensifying flavor and aroma:
![[Pasted image 20250704234903.png]]

Many foods are fortified with extra vitamins and minerals.

There's also a plethora of substitutes
- Quorn, brand-name fungal-based meat substitute
- Fat replacers
	![[Pasted image 20250704235417.png]]


![[Pasted image 20250704235451.png]]![[Pasted image 20250704235500.png]]
![[Pasted image 20250704235509.png]]
- Food sweeteners
	![[Pasted image 20250704235927.png]]
	![[Pasted image 20250704235940.png]]
	![[Pasted image 20250705010632.png]]

Other additives in food:
![[Pasted image 20250705041225.png]]
## Canned food
![[Pasted image 20250705040145.png]]