Food Preservation Techniques

• Food preservation prevents food spoilage caused by microorganism growth, extending a food's shelf life.

Methods of Food Preservation

• Drying removes moisture from food naturally (sun) or artificially (oven at 50-60°C) to inhibit microorganism growth and prevent spoilage.
  • Egyptians used drying as an ancient method of food preservation.
  • Fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat can be dried; cutting food into small pieces speeds up the drying process.
• Freezing uses extremely low temperatures to prevent microorganism growth and maintain food freshness and nutrients; suitable for meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables.
• Salting uses salt to preserve food such as meat, poultry, fish, and seafood.
  • Dry salting involves rubbing dry salt directly onto the fish or meat.
  • Brine salting involves immersing the fish or meat in concentrated brine, and it can be used for making salted eggs.
  • The combination method includes rubbing dry salt then immersing it in brine solution.
• Smoking exposes food to fire and smoke until cooked, as seen in tinapa (fish), ham, and beef tapa.
• Canning preserves food in cans, such as milk, sardines, meat (Vienna sausage, liver spread), and fruits like mango, pineapple, and fruit juices.
• Fermentation involves soaking or saturating food in enough salt to prevent spoilage and enhance taste; fermented foods can be used as sauce, seasoning or viand.
  • Bagoong, fish sauce (patis), soy sauce, cheese and yogurt are examples of fermented food.
• Boiling/Sterilizing involves boiling or sterilizing food in bottles to kill off micro-organisms.

Explore food preservation methods: drying, freezing, and salting. Drying removes moisture, freezing uses low temperatures, and salting employs dry or brine solutions to extend food shelf life and prevent spoilage. Learn the different techniques.