Name: Food Poisoning
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 7 min 8 s
Description: We've all gotten food poisoning before, and it's terrible. So what causes it? Just a little bit of bacteria called E. coli, that's all. Let's check them out!

Question

What is food preservation? Why is it necessary to preserve food? Explain any three methods to preserve food.

Accepted Answer

Food preservation is a process of protecting food from getting spoiled. Chemicals which are used to check the growth of microorganisms are called preservatives.

Foods can be protected from getting spoiled by following various techniques of food preservation. Some of these techniques are cooling, heating, dehydration, refrigeration, adding salt or sugar, canning and vacuum packing.

The three methods to preserve food are:

1. Preservation by sugar:

Sugar reduces the moisture content of the food item, so microbes are unable to get sufficient water for their action. This prevents the food from getting spoiled. Jams, jellies and squashes are preserved using sugar.

2. Preservation using common salt:

When common salt is added to any food item, it draws out all the moisture from it. Since the food item becomes free from all moisture, the microorganisms are unable to act on it. The method of adding common salt to preserve food items is called salting. Salting preserves meat and fish for a very long time. This method is also used to preserve amla, raw mangoes, tamarind, etc.

3. Preservation by oil and vinegar:

Oil is a common preservative for pickles. Oil cuts off the contact with air. Since microorganisms do not get air, they are not able to survive. Vinegar is a food preservative that preserves food items such as cucumber and peppers. Adding vinegar creates an environment unsuitable for the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi.

What is food preservation? Why is it necessary to preserve food? Explain any three methods to preserve food.

Important Questions on Microorganisms

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