Food preservation techniques are used to keep the foods safe for longer. You can use the preserved food at home or in a commercial kitchen. Preservation strategies assist in stopping the growth of bacteria and other contaminations. Thus, the food is kept safe to eat later on. To expand the lifespan of foods utilized at home or in commercial kitchens, you can simply use:
- Refrigeration
- Freezing
- Sugaring
- Salting
- Canning
- Vacuum packing
Blast freezers are the best to use for proper freezing and keeping the food safe for longer. Moreover, food experts are continuously investigating new techniques for preserving foods. The following are a few ways to consider for preserving foods safely for longer:
Freezing – The Easiest Preservation Approach
When stored correctly, frozen food can stay safe for quite a long time. Frozen foods can stay safe to eat for a practically endless time due to the fact that microbial growth is inhibited in frozen foods. Nonetheless, it will ultimately get worse in quality and become unpleasant as well. So, it is recommended to utilize the majority of the frozen foods within a couple of months. To preserve food safely for longer, you must:
- Keep the freezer temperature in a range of – 18° C to – 22° C.
- Before freezing the foods, keep them in freezer bags or air-tight boxes.
- Try to freeze foods before their ‘best before’ date.
- Try not to refreeze thawed-out food as it allows microorganisms to develop during defrosting.
- Label the foods with a date while freezing.
Sugaring – Keep Foods Safe for Longer
Keeping the foods in a high-sugar content generally inhibits the growth of bacteria by decreasing the water content of foods. It is very helpful for preserving fruits as you can prepare marmalade and jam that will last for longer. A wide range of sweet substances functions admirably well to save food, including sugar granules, honey, or sugar syrup. A few sugaring methods also add alcohol in addition to sugar for preservation. You might utilize sugaring to preserve different foods, for example:
- Fruit e.g., apples, plums, cherries, peaches, apricots.
- Vegetables e.g., carrot and ginger.
- Certain meat and fish.
Salting – A Simple Preservation Technique
Just like sugaring, an excess amount of salt removes water from different foods and inhibits the growth of bacteria. The salting process is generally accomplished in two ways:
- Dry curing: Salt is applied to food like meat and it is left for some time to remove water molecules.
- Wet curing: Salt is mixed with water and the resulting solution is known as brine. The food is added to the brine to save it for longer, typically along with the canning process.
Canning – An Ideal Method for Long-term Preservation
Canning greatly increases the lifespan of different foods and keeps them safe for longer when done properly. Canning is used for preserving foods by removing the oxygen via an airtight seal. The food is kept in an acidic, salty, or sugary substance where microscopic organisms can’t grow. You must follow an efficient and safe canning method:
- Choose a great quality food that you want to preserve.
- Keep it in a hygienic environment.
- Buy appropriate containers and self-sealing lids designed particularly for canning.
- Buy a canning rack.
- Follow safe preservation methods.
- You should be very careful to ensure you preserve food safely for longer.
Vacuum Packing – Maintain Food Quality
Just like canning, vacuum packing removes oxygen and hinders bacterial growth by creating an oxygen-free environment. Vacuum packing also has an advantage over other preservation methods because the food quality is preserved without the addition of other ingredients. It generally preserves the food’s odor, taste, texture, and color which is especially required for meat you plan to cook infrequently. Without air, vacuum-packed foods also hold their moisture content which guarantees ideal food quality.