Food preservation // What is nutrition ? (Part-5)
Food preservation
Hello, This is What is nutrition and What is food ( part-4) . If you are not see the part 1 , and wanted to see and read part-1 click here.
Part-2 click here.
Part-3 click here.
Food preservation
Due to natural causes all kinds of food get spoiled or unfit for eating over time. Causes of food spoilage are: Infection by germs and fungi and their rapid growth due to environment, increase in enzymes in food, humidity in environment, increase in acidity in heat.
These factors alone do not spoil the food. A few factors get organized and waste food. For example, when the humidity in the environment increases, germs grow and spoil the food. As the temperature rises, the amount of enzymes in the food increases and spoils the food.
Germs or bacteria destroy food and create a kind of toxic substance there. These toxins are called toxins. These toxins are of different types and some of the toxins we call food poisoning.
Toxins can attack the nervous system and cause death. Yeast fungi quickly spoil food like fruit juice, tomato sauce, jelly, sweet pickles, sherbet etc. The food smells sour and becomes cloudy. If the bread can be kept in the open for a few days, it can be seen that a gray coating has been formed on it.
It is damaged by mold fungi (e.g., mucor, aspergillus). Sour foods like oranges, tomatoes, cheese, pickles etc. are easily spoiled by these. By storing food, we can get fruits, grains, vegetables, fish and other foods from one season to another.
If the production of a crop is high at any one time and place of the year, we can conserve it, use it at another time, transfer it to different places or export it.So we can meet our food shortages by storing different types of food in different ways while maintaining the quality of food.
Different methods of food preservation
Food is wasted due to the growth of germs and the action of enzymes secreted by the germs. Water and warmth are very useful conditions for bacterial growth and acceleration of enzyme activity. As a result, this condition affects the rapid digestion of food.
Food can be stored for a long time if these digestive factors are properly controlled. Food is stored and marketed commercially by adopting certain special measures. Food is stored in our homes using common preservatives and equipment’s.
Here are some of them: Food preservation
1. Drying:
Drying and storing food is an ancient method. The drying method is to dry the water from the food to prevent the growth of fungi and bacteria and the action of enzymes. Food can be stored in this way for many days.
2. Refrigeration:
In the refrigeration method, raw vegetables, fruits, cooked food, sweet foods can be kept for some time. In this way, the proliferation of germs and the action of enzymes cannot be prevented for long.
Food preservation
3. Freezing:
In the freezing method, food and foodstuffs are kept at a temperature of 0 ° Fahrenheit or below. In this way food stays good for a long time. The freezing method not only preserves fresh vegetables, fruits, fruit juices, fish, meat, but also prepared foods, ice cream and a variety of prepared foods.
Food preservation
4. Preservatives:
The digestion of food can be prevented by chemicals. These are called preservative. Chemical preservatives are used to protect food from decay and to prevent the growth of fungi and bacteria in food. They have no nutritional value.
Food preservatives should be applied knowing the right amount of dosage. There are different types of chemical preservatives and different uses. The following are some of the notable chemical preservatives: Preservatives should be applied to food knowing the exact amount of them.
Food preservation
There are different types of chemical preservatives and different uses.
(A) Vinegar is very familiar to us. Vinegar is used in pickles, sauces, etc. to prevent bacterial growth. A 5% solution of acetic acid is called vinegar.
(B) Sulfate salts such as Sodium bi sulphate or Potassium-meta bi sulphite can be used to prevent the growth of fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms.
(C) Sodium benzoate, it is the salt of Benzoic Acid. It specifically inhibits the growth of the fungus yeast. Sodium benzoate is very useful for preserving fruit juices, fruit peels etc.
Yogurt, sweets, cheese, butter and bakery products are preserved using Propionic Acid salt and Sorbic Acid salt sorbates in addition to the chemical preservatives mentioned above. The chemical preservatives mentioned above have to be used in different amounts to preserve different types of food.If these chemicals are used in excess of certain amounts, they can cause adverse reactions in the human body.
Food preservation
5. Preservation:
In sugar or salt solution: Sugar and salt solution has been used as food preservative for many years. The salt solution is called brine. Concentrated solution of sugar and salt protects food from decay by destroying microorganisms by external excretion.
Fruit jams, jellies and marmalades are made by applying sugar. Guava, apple, pineapple fruits can be cut and cleaned and kept in a thick solution of sugar and kept for a long time by insulating the air.
If food is discolored or swollen, white or black ink is formed on the food and the surface of the food becomes slippery before consumption of preserved food, then digestion has taken place in the food. Such food should not be taken, because then food poisoning may occur.
Food preservation
The use of chemicals in food preservation and its physical reactions.
Currently, a toxic chemical called formalin is being used to protect milk, fruit, fish and even meat from decay. Its use for food preservation is prohibited.
But some unscrupulous and unscrupulous traders in our country are still using formalin in food preservation. Long-term use can lead to indigestion, diarrhea, stomach ailments, respiratory problems, asthma, liver and kidney damage, and cancer.
Long-term use of formalin can lead to birth defects in girls. Various fruits such as mangoes, tomatoes, bananas and papayas are being ripened quickly using chemicals called Ripen and Ethylene. If these are used for fruit ripening then the fruit should be marketed after 7-8 days. But without it, it is often marketed in 2-3 days.
It retains the effectiveness of chemicals and eating such fruits can lead to complex diseases in the human body. A type of chemical called calcium carbide is used to ripen the fruit.
In order to prevent the mangoes from ripening quickly and staying on the plant for a long time, some mango traders in our country spray a chemical called Cutler on the plants. The fruit matures quickly and stays in the tree for a long time without ripening.
It is also not good for health. In order to prevent the use of these toxic chemicals, it is necessary to raise awareness in the society through mass media through electronic media and newspapers to make consumer law more strictly enforced to protect consumer rights. People should be careful not to buy such fruits.
The government will have to take strict disciplinary action against those who use such chemicals to preserve food and ripen fruit. Mobile courts and public awareness can have the most impact in this regard.
Food preservation
Fast food or junk food
Fast food or junk food is a type of food that is produced for a tasty taste instead of a healthy ingredient. These may seem very tasty to eat, but most of the time these foods are not good for the body.
To make it tasty, it often contains extra chemicals that are unhealthy. Fast foods usually contain a lot of animal fats and sugars. Bagars, fried chicken, pizza, chips, fried foods, cakes or biscuits are high in animal fats.
Gas drinks like soft drinks, cola or lemon contain extra sugar. When we eat a lot of fatty foods, our body converts them into fat and too much sugar can damage our teeth and skin. Fast food never falls into in the balanced diet.
Fast food has not the vitamins and minerals we need. Eating fast food causes obese children to become obese. Natural live food is much better for health than packaged or canned food.
Read more:
What is nutrition and What is food(part -1)
What is nutrition and What is food ? (Part-2)
What is nutrition and What is food(part -3)
What is nutrition and What is food(part -4)
