HEALTH CARE

PRESERVATION OF FOOD

Preservation helps to avoid wastage of food. If food is preserved properly, can make seasonal food available throughout the year. If some delicio food items, are preserved properly, can be enjoyed throughout the year.

Fresh foodstuffs cannot stay longer in good condition, so they need to preserved. Bacteria and moisture spoil food. Thus for preserving food for long time it must be protected from bacteria and moisture. Following some methods of preserving food:

1. Low temperature:- Bacteria cannot survive or become inactive at very low temperatures. So, milk, eggs, meat and vegetables can be preserved by keeping them in a refrigerator.

In big towns and cities there are cold storages where vegetables and fruits in large number can remain fresh for a longer time.

2. Canning:- Foods like fruits, vegetables and fish are boiled, excess water is removed, sterilized and put into sterile germ free containers and tins. They are closed air-tight and sealed.


3. Pickling:- Pickling is the way of preserving some vegetables in excess oil. Salt is also a preservative. Lime, mango, prawn and many other vegetables are pickled with excess salt and oil in jars and bottles.

4. Salting:- Salt is a good preservative because micro-organisms cannot live in salt solution. Some vegetables and fruits can e salted and preserved for some time. Dry fish is salted and preserved.

5. Adding Sugar:- Sometimes fruits are preserved in sugar syrup. Sugar syrup removes water from bacteria and kills them. A good example of preservation of foodstuff by adding sugar is of jams. Fruit jams can be used throughout the year.

6.Chemical presevatives:-Preservatives stop microorganism growth in those foods that cannot be processed by such means as canning or freezing. Preservatives are used extensively in bread and other baked goods, pickled vegetables, fruit juices and cheese.

Common preservatives include benzoic acid, sorbic acid, and sulphur dioxide.

7.Drying:- Drying is a good method of preserving as it removes moisture and prevents the growth of bacteria and other micro-organisms. Few vegetables like brinjals, lady’s fingers, cauliflowers, peas, beans. chilies, coriander, unripe mango fruits, dates, grapes and banana chips are dried well and kept air tight for weeks and months in dry bottles or plastic containers.

Potato chips, papad of different types are also preserved by drying method.

8.Boiling:- Boiling kills bacteria. So, oiling also helps in the preservation of liquid food like milk.


PRESERVATION OF DRIED GRAINS:-

Food-grains like rice, wheat, maize, bajra, jowar and pulses like gram, peas, beans are dried well in the sun to remove the moisture. They are then kept in dry containers. Once in a while they should be exposed to sunlight.