Food Preservation

Question 1

Concerns over highly processed foods

Answer 1

Added
• Sugar
• Sodium
• Saturated/trans fats
- Low in fiber
-Refined grains
-High in calories
- Conducive to unhealthy behaviors

Question 2

2009 recall of peanut butter result in affected (7)

Answer 2

-Peanut butter
• Cookies
• Crackers
• Cereal
• Candy
• Ice cream
• Pet food

Question 3

Food preservation definition

Answer 3

The process of treating and handling food to stop or greatly slow down spoilage in order to prevent foodborne illness and extend shelf-life

Question 4

Food preservation methods are intended to accomplish (3)

Answer 4

1) Reduce the exiting pathogen load
2) Render food environment inhospitable to microorganisms
• Reduce water activity (a
• Alter PH
• Alter temperature
• Low oxygen content
3) Provide physical barrier to contamination/inoculation

Question 5

Microorganism growth requirements (FATTOM)

Answer 5

• Food – Energy source
• Acidity – PH between 4.6 and 7.5 is ideal for growth
• Temperature – Danger zone is 40oF to 140oF
• Time – Four hours is average time for dangerous growth
• Oxygen – Required by most pathogens
• Moisture – <0.85 increases safety and decreases bacterial growth

Question 6

How many people suffer from food security worldwide

Answer 6

820 million

Question 7

How many billion tons of food are lost or wasted each year (and what proportion is this of all food produced for food consumption)

Answer 7

1.3 billion tons = 1/3 of all food produced for food consumption

Question 8

Which 2 commodity groups experience the most losses per year

Answer 8

Fruits/veggies
Roots and tubers

Question 9

3 methods of food preservation that reduce existing pathogen loads (RIP)

Answer 9

Refrigeration
Irradiation
Pasteurization

Question 10

Most common food preservation method

Answer 10

Refrigeration/freezing

Question 11

Refrigeration/freezing

Answer 11

-Slows microbial growth and enzymatic action
-Fosters longer life for transpiration and storage
-Storage of strategic food stocks for many nations

Question 12

Irradiation/cold pasteurization

Answer 12

• Exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation (Co-60 or Cs-137)
• Kills nearly all surface pathogens (may even achieve sterilization)
• Food does not become radioactive and remains wholesome
• Endorsed by WHO, FAO and approved by FDA
• Not suitable for dairy products and some fruits

Question 13

All irradiated food must display

Answer 13

Radura symbol

Question 14

Is irradiation suitable for fruits and dairy products

Answer 14

no

Question 15

Which food preservation method is ideal for liquid food

Answer 15

Pasteurization

Question 16

Pasteurization

Answer 16

-Preservation technique for liquid food: originally for wine
• Kills 99.999% of pathogenic microorganisms in milk
• NOT complete sterilization; spoilage organisms survive

Question 17

3 different temperature-time methods of pasteurization

Answer 17

• HTST: High-Temperature, Short Time - 160F for 15 seconds or 145F for 30 minutes
• UHT: Ultra High Temperature - 275F for 2 seconds
• ESL: Extended Shelf Life - Lower temperatures than UHT but adds a filtration step

Question 18

Shelf life for high temperature short time vs ultra high temperature: milk pasteurization

Answer 18

HTST = 60-90 days
UHT = 180 days

Question 19

6 methods of food preservation that render foods inhospitable to microbial growth

Answer 19

• Freeze-drying
• Salt or sugar curing
• Pickling
• Fermentation microbial growth
• Smoking
• Modified Atmosphere

Question 20

Freeze drying

Answer 20

-Combination of freezing and lowering ambient pressure
•-Causes free water to sublimate, thus reducing water activity
• Product typically has a water content of 1%-4%
• Causes less damage to food stuffs than other drying methods
• Also used for pharmaceuticals such as vaccines
• Does not cause shrinkage, but does reduce weight
• Popular for hikers

Question 21

Pickling

Answer 21

• Preserves food in edible, antimicrobial liquid
• Lowers water activity
• Lowers pH
• Salt brine, vinegar, alcohol,
vegetable oil…
• Foods such as cucumbers, peppers,
corned beef, herring, eggs, olives…

Question 22

One of the oldest preservation techniques is

Answer 22

Fermentation

Question 23

fermentation

Answer 23

-Beneficial microorganisms (e.g., Lactobacillus sp.) compete with pathogens
-place food in anaerobic container to allow lactobacteria to grow
• Converts starch (sugars) to alcohol: lowering pH
• Produces vitamins (primarily B vitamins)
• Foods such as beer, sour cream, kefir, kimchi, yogurt…

Question 24

Salt or sugar curing

Answer 24

• Both result in reduced water
activity (aw)
• Additionally, osmotic pressure lyses cell membranes
• Examples: salted meat, fruit in
honey (or heavy syrup), salted anchovies…

Question 25

Smoking (food preservation)

Answer 25

• Wood smoke deposits natural preservatives on meats and fish
• Physically dries the surface of foods
• Can be combined with canning

Question 26

Modified atmosphere

Answer 26

• Storing or packaging foods that spoil easily or age quickly
• Reduced oxygen; replaces with carbon dioxide or nitrogen
• Slows aging and prevents insect infestation
• Eastern WA has MA space for >100 million boxes of
apples
• MA grains can be stored for 4-5 years

Question 27

Hurdle technology

Answer 27

• Controlling (or eliminating) foodborne pathogens by the application of MORE THAN ONE APPROACH= Giving the pathogens more ‘hurdles’ to overcome
-Approaches are specifically selected to preserve organoleptic qualities
-high temperature during processing
Low temperature during storage
-increasing acidity
-lowering water activity
-adding antimicrobials/antioxidants

Question 28

Who developed astronaut food

Answer 28

Pillsbury and us army

Question 29

HACCP basics

Answer 29

-Science-based system of food safety
• HACCP prevents rather than detects
• Focuses on health hazards; NOT product quality
• Made mandatory in both U.S. and EU

Question 30

7 steps of HACCP (general)

Answer 30

1) Assess Potential Hazards
2) Determine Critical Control Points
3) Establish Requirements for each CCP
4) Establish procedure to Monitor each CCP
5) Establish Corrective action if deviation
6) Establish Record keeping procedures
7) Establish procedure to Monitor effectiveness