There are various ways in which a food can be preserved. Here are some of them.
- Drying. The water content of the food is reduced to a certain degree to prevent it from spoilage. Drying could be done by slicing and spreading the food under the heat of the sun. It could also be done through artificial heat like in the oven.
- Smoking. This is usually used with fish and meat. The meat or fish is salted and exposed to smoke produced by slow burning saw dust or shavings of the woods. The smoke contains preserving chemicals that prevent the growth of bacteria. The food is also being dried at the same time.
- Salting. This is simply done by adding salt to the food. The salt extracts the water content of the food and enters the tissues thus making the food firmer and preventing spoilage.
- Pickling. This is applicable to some foods that doesn’t have much taste. Vinegar, sugar and other condiments are used to preserve food thus giving it a delicious flavor while preserving it from decay.
- Sugaring. Fruits are usually preserved with the use of sugar. They are known as jelly, marmalade, candy, or jam.
- Sterilizing. This is done by destructing all the germs through thorough cooking. The food is cooked for five hours or about an hour for three consecutive days. Since water, air and foods contains germs, complete sterilization is essential in preventing food spoilage.
- Canning. This is the method of heating the food to kill microorganism that spoils the food; and sealing the heated food in an air tight container to prevent recontamination.
