Safe Food Practices |  Food Preservation  |  Packaging  
l  Facilities & Equipment |  Risk Management & Safety  |  Resources

Food Preservation Techniques

Bacteria are the most troublesome and important biological foodborne hazard for the food processing industry. Bacteria are usually classified by the requirements needed for their growth and as spoilage or pathogenic microorganism. Spoilage bacteria affect quality by breaking down the food so that it may look, taste, and smell bad. They affect quality. Pathogenic bacteria cause diseases and, if ingested in a food, can make people ill.

Pathogenic bacteria are affected by food such as protein, sugar, starches, etc., acidity, temperature, holding time, oxygen, and moisture.

Proper food processing and preservation methods such as heat preservation, cold preservation, dehydration, fermentation, food additives, food irradiation and packaging can control the conditions that prevent bacteria growth.