List out Points about the Traditional Food Preservation?
1. The traditional food preservation methods like drying, pickling, salting, smoking, canning and freezing have been with us from the times immemorial. But all of these methods are being updated and are in use today in some form.
2. Dried foods are preserved, because the available moisture level is so low that microorganisms cannot grow and enzyme activity is controlled.
3. Fruits like grapes (raisins), figs, dates, apricots, raw mango (amchur), pears and peaches and vegetables like bean, peas, cabbage, cauliflower, lady finger, garlic, onion, chilli, turmeric and all leafy vegetables including fish can be dried under Sun.
4. Dried foods are compact, lightweight, do not require refrigeration and last much longer than fresh foods, retaining to wholesomeness.
5. Effects of salt in food preservation:
(i) it causes high osmotic pressure and hence shrinking of cell,
(ii) it dehydrates foods by removing moisture and making it unavailable for the microbial cells;
(iii) it ionizes to yield the chlorine ion, which is harmful to organisms.
6. Foods preserved by high sugar concentrations are sweetened condensed milk, preserves, jams, jellies, marmalades and cadies.
7. Foods preserved by fermentation are yogurt, curd, cheese, beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages.
8. Cheese making is a long and involved process that makes use of bacteria, enzymes and naturally formed acids to solidify milk proteins and fat and preserve them.
9. Preservative action of smoking is due to the bactericidal chemicals like formaldehyde and creosote present in the smoke and dehydrating effect.