The document discusses food preservatives, which are substances added to food to prevent spoilage from microbes and undesirable chemical changes. Preservatives are used to preserve the natural characteristics and appearance of food and increase its shelf life. Common preservatives include salt, sugar, vinegar, and other natural compounds, as well as chemical preservatives like benzoates, nitrites, sulfites, and sorbates. While preservatives help extend the shelf life of foods, some chemical preservatives can be harmful if consumed in large amounts.
The document discusses food preservatives, which are substances added to food to prevent spoilage from microbes and undesirable chemical changes. Preservatives are used to preserve the natural characteristics and appearance of food and increase its shelf life. Common preservatives include salt, sugar, vinegar, and other natural compounds, as well as chemical preservatives like benzoates, nitrites, sulfites, and sorbates. While preservatives help extend the shelf life of foods, some chemical preservatives can be harmful if consumed in large amounts.
The document discusses food preservatives, which are substances added to food to prevent spoilage from microbes and undesirable chemical changes. Preservatives are used to preserve the natural characteristics and appearance of food and increase its shelf life. Common preservatives include salt, sugar, vinegar, and other natural compounds, as well as chemical preservatives like benzoates, nitrites, sulfites, and sorbates. While preservatives help extend the shelf life of foods, some chemical preservatives can be harmful if consumed in large amounts.
The document discusses food preservatives, which are substances added to food to prevent spoilage from microbes and undesirable chemical changes. Preservatives are used to preserve the natural characteristics and appearance of food and increase its shelf life. Common preservatives include salt, sugar, vinegar, and other natural compounds, as well as chemical preservatives like benzoates, nitrites, sulfites, and sorbates. While preservatives help extend the shelf life of foods, some chemical preservatives can be harmful if consumed in large amounts.
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Introduction
A preservative is a substance or a chemical that is
added toproducts such as food, beverages, pharmaceutical drugs, paints,biological samples, cosmetics, wood, and many other products toprevent decomposition by microbial growth or by undesirablechemical changes. In general, preservation is implemented in twomodes, chemical and physical. Chemical preservation entailsadding chemical compounds to the product. Physicalpreservation entails processes such as refrigeration or drying.Preservative food additives reduce the risk of foodborneinfections, decrease microbial spoilage, and preserve freshattributes and nutritional quality. Some physical techniques forfood preservation include dehydration, UV-C radiation, freeze-drying, and refrigeration. Chemical preservation and physicalpreservation techniques are sometimes combined Why food preservatives are used ? Food is an important aspect for the survival of a organism, so food preservation is one of the oldest technologies used by human beings to avoid its spoilage. Different ways have been found and improved for the purpose. Boiling, freezing and refrigeration, pasteurizing, dehydration, pickling are the traditional few options. Sugar, mineral salt and salt are also often used as preservatives of food. Nuclear radiation is also being used now as food preservatives. Modified packaging and hypobaric packing also work as food preservatives.
Food preservatives is basically done for three
reasons To preserve the natural characteristics of food To preserve the appearance of food To increase the shelf value of food for storage
Natural food preservatives
In the category of natural food preservatives comes the salt, sugar, alcohol, vinegar etc. These are the traditional preservatives in food that are also used at home while making pickles, jams and juices etc. Also the freezing, boiling, smoking, salting are considered to be the natural ways to preserving food. Coffee powder and soup are dehydrated and freeze- dried for preservation. In this section the citrus food preservatives like citrus acid and ascorbic acid work on enzymes and disrupt their metabolism leading to the preservation. Sugar and salt are the earliest natural food preservatives that very efficient drops the growth of bacteria in food. To preserve meat and fish, salt is still used as natural food preservatives.
Chemical food preservatives
Chemical food preservatives are also being used for quite some time now. They seem to be the best and the most effective for a longer shelf life and are generally fool proof for the preservation purpose. Examples of chemical food preservatives are :- 1.Benzoates ( such as benzoate, benzoic acid) 2.Nitrites (such as sodium nitrites) 3.Sulphites (such as sulphur dioxide) 4.Sorbates ( such as sodium sorbate, potassium sorbate) Antioxidants are also the chemical food preservatives that act as free radicals scavengers. In the category of preservatives in food comes the vitamin C, BHA ( butylated hydroxyanisole), bacterial growth inhibitors like sodium nitrite, sulfur dioxide and benzoic acid.
Then there is ethanol that is a one of the chemical
preservatives in food, wine and food stores in brandy, unlike natural food preservatives some of the chemical food preservatives are harmful. Sulfur dioxide and nitrites are examples. Sulphur dioxide causes irritation in bronchial tubes and nitrites are carcinogenic. Artificial preservatives Artificial preservatives are the chemical substances that stops or delays the growth of bacteria, spoilage and its discoloration. These artificial preservatives can be added to the food or sprayed on the food. Types of artificial preservatives of food Antimicrobial agents Antioxidants Chelating agent In antimicrobial comes the Benzoates, Sodium benzoate, Sorbates and Nitrites. Antioxidants include the sulfites, vitamin E, vitamin C and Butylated hydroxytluene (BHT) Chelating agent has the Disodium ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid(EDTA), Polyphosphates and Citric acid.
Harmful food preservatives
Although preservatives food additives are used to keep the food fresh and to stop the bacterial growth. But still there are certain preservatives in food that are harmful if taken in more than the prescribed limits. Certain harmful food preservatives are Benzoates This group of chemical food preservatives has been banned in Russia because of its role in triggering allergies, asthma and skin rashes. It is also considered to cause the brain damage. This food preservative is used in fruit juices, tea, coffee etc. Butylates This chemical food preservative is expected to cause high blood pressure and cholesterol level. This can affect the kidney and live function. It is found in butter, vegetable oils and margarine.
BHA( butylated hydroxyanisole)
BHA is expected to cause the live diseases and cancer. This food preservative is used to preserve the fresh pork and pork sausages, potato chips, instant tea, cake mixes and many more. Caramel Caramel is the colouring agent that causes the vitamin B6 deficiencies, genetic effects and cancer. It is found in candies, bread, brown coloured food and frozen pizza. In addition to this there are many other harmful food preservatives. These are bromates, Caffine, Carrageenan, chlorines,Coal Tar AZO dies, Gallates, Glutamates, Mono-and Di-glycerides, Nitrates/Nitrites, Saccharin, Sodium Erythrobate, Sulphites and Tannin.
Preservatives food additives
All of these chemical act as either antimicrobials or antioxidants or both. They either inhibit the activity of or kill the bacteria, molds, insects and other microorganisms. Antimicrobials, prevent the growth of molds, yeast and bacteria and antioxidants keep food from becoming rancid or developing black spots. They suppress the reaction when foods comes in contact with oxygen, heat, and some metals. They also prevent the loss of some essential amino acids some vitamins.
Some common preservatives and their
primary activity There are other antioxidants like Sodium Erythorbate, Erythronic Acid, Sodium diacetate, Sodium Succinate , Grapes seed extract, Pine Bark Extract, Apple Extract Tea Proplyphenols, Succinic Acid and Ascorbic acid and food preservatives like Parabens and Sodium Dehydro Acetate used frequently for preservation.