PFE 306: PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODS OF PRESERVATION PREETINDER KAUR

Preservation technologies and methods of preservation of fruits

and vegetables
Food preservation: involves the action taken to maintain foods with the desired properties or
nature for as long as possible. The preservation and processing of food is not as simple or
straightforward as it was in the past. A number of new preservation techniques are being
developed to satisfy current demands of economic preservation and consumer satisfaction in
nutritional and sensory aspects, convenience, and safety, absence of chemical preservatives, price,
and environmental safety. Understanding the effects of each preservation method on food has
therefore become critical in all aspects. Preservation methods start with the complete analysis
and understanding of the whole food chain, including growing, harvesting, processing, packaging,
and distribution; thus an integrated approach needs to be applied.
The main reasons for food preservation are to overcome inappropriate planning in
agriculture, to produce value-added products, and provide variation in diet. Consumer demand
for healthier and more convenient foods also affects the way food is preserved. Eating should be
pleasurable to the consumer, and not boring. People like to eat wide varieties of foods with
different tastes and flavours.
In food preservation, the important points that need to be considered are
● The desired level of quality
● The preservation length
● The group for whom the products are preserved
Physical Chemical Biological
Cooling and chilling
Freezing
Blanching
Pasteurization Preservatives e.g. Fermentation
Canning Benzoates, nitrites Alcoholic
Freezing Sugar Acetic
Drying/Dehydration Salt Lactic
Separation/Filtration Spices
Concentration Additives (antioxidants)
Irradiation
Modified/Controlled
Atmospheric packaging

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PFE 306: PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODS OF PRESERVATION PREETINDER KAUR

Figure: Factors affecting quality of food

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 PFE 306: PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODS OF PRESERVATION PREETINDER KAUR

Physical Methods

Physical methods of food preservation are those that utilize physical treatments to inhibit,
destroy, or remove undesirable microorganisms without involving antimicrobial additives or
products of microbial metabolism as preservative factors. Microbial growth can be inhibited by
physical dehydration processes (drying, freeze-drying, and freeze concentration), cool storage, or
frozen storage. Microorganisms can be destroyed by established physical microbicide treatments
such as heating (including microwave heat treatment), UV or ionizing radiation, and emerging
methods of new non-thermal treatments, such as the use of high hydrostatic Physical Methods of
Food 32 Preservation pressure, pulsed electric fi elds (PEFs), oscillating magnetic fields,
photodynamic effects, and a combination of physical processes such as heat irradiation, dehydro-
irradiation, and manothermosonication. Mechanical removal of microorganisms from food may
be accomplished by membrane filtration of food liquids.

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 PFE 306: PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODS OF PRESERVATION PREETINDER KAUR

• Dehydration/Drying

Drying is one of the first techniques for preserving foods developed by humans. Fresh foods
become less perishable when their water activity (aw) is decreased. A decrease in aw usually
translates to a delay in microbial growth and chemical reactions. The minimum Aw limit for growth
of most bacteria is 0.86 and that for most molds and yeast is 0.61. Various types of drying methods
exist: sun drying, roast drying, hot air drying, heated-surface drying, and vacuum drying. The
application of drying preservation techniques results in changes to the food, including a movement
of water molecules from the internal parts of the food to the surface, shrinkage of food volume,
surface hardening, and loss of vitamins.

Over 85 % of industrial dryers are convective type with either hot air or combustion gases as the
heat transfer medium. Product quality in terms of nutritional, functional and sensorial attributes
is another major concern. With conventional drying methods relying on conductive and convective
modes of heat transfer, the end product can thus suffer from poor quality and the probability of
product contamination can be augmented. For this reason, over recent years, there has been
significant technological advancement in food drying in terms of drying pre-treatments,
techniques, equipment and quality. The potential of novel technologies for drying and food
preservation has gained increased industrial interest and has the potential to replace, at least
partly, the traditional entrenched preservation methods, as the industry seeks to become more
environmentally and economically sustainable.
Table: New drying techniques

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• Chilling/Low Temperature Storage

Low temperature is also effective for the extension of food storage periods. The refrigerator,
which was invented in the 1800s (Burstall 1963), is a major milestone in the development of Food
Preservation and Safety.

In chilling process, the temperature of foods is maintained between −1 and 8 °C. Chilling process
reduces the initial temperature of the products and maintains the final temperature of products
for a prolonged period of time. It is used to reduce the rate of biochemical and microbiological
changes and also to extend shelf life of fresh and processed foods. In practice, freezing process is
often referred to chilling, when cooling is conducted at <15 °C. Partial freezing is applied to extend
the shelf life of fresh food items in modern food industries. This process reduces ice formation in
foods, known as super chilling .

Chilling can be done by using various equipments, such as continuous air cooler, ice bank cooler,
plate heat exchanger, jacketed heat exchanger, ice implementation system, vacuum attribution
system, and cryogenic chamber. Chilling rate is mainly dependent on thermal conductivity, initial
temperature of foods, density, moisture content, presence or absence of a lid on the food storage
vessel, presence of plastic bags as food packaging equipment, and the size as well as weight of
food units.
Table: Chilling methods of solid and liquid foods.
Solid foods Batch air chillers Warm food items are fed into large refrigerated
room, widely used in industry.
Moving air This cost-effective, hygienic, and widely used
method incurs little damage to equipment. Surface
dehydration of the food is the major disadvantage
of this process.

Ice/ice water chilling

Food items are packed in boxes and then they are
placed between layers of crushed ice. Melting ice
assists to maintain the temperature at 0 °C.
However, this method is not labor efficient and
consumes much time comparing to other
processes.
Cryogenic cooling This method involves the use of liquid nitrogen to
freeze the product. Thermal shock confrontation of
food items makes this process vulnerable
Immersion A cost-effective cooling method is suitable for small
cooling/hydrocooling products. This technique involves immersing or
spraying the product in cool water at near 0 °C.
Hydrocooling moisturizes food items which can be
detrimental to some extents

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Liquid Foods Batch cooling of A jacketed stainless steel vessel of varying capacity
liquids with agitator inside is usually used for this type of
chilling. The coolant may circulate through the
jacket of the vessel or through a coil placed in the
liquid food stuff, or both while the agitator incurs
uniform heat transfer
Continuous cooling The continuous cooling of liquids can involve multi-
of liquids plates and tubes, aeration, and double-pipe
coolers. The most widespread piece of equipment
is the multi-plate cooler, which has the best
efficiency, high surface area for exchanging heat,
easy cleaning opportunity, and less material
requirement than others.

• Freezing

Freezing preserves food at a very low temperature, and prevents the growth of microorganisms
as well as changes caused by chemical reactions in the food. During the freezing process, however,
physical and chemical changes can still occur in the food, including recrystallization, oxidation of
lipids, enzymatic browning, destruction of vitamin C, and rapid insolubility of proteins (Noh et al.
2009). Slow freezing and thawing are more effective at decreasing microbial survival rates than
are quick freezing and thawing.

Freezing slows down the physiochemical and biochemical reactions by forming ice from
water below freezing temperature and thus inhibits the growth of deteriorative and pathogenic
microorganisms in foods. It reduces the amount of liquid water in the food items and diminishes
water activity. Heat transfer during freezing of a food item involves a complex situation of
simultaneous phase transition and alteration of thermal properties. Nucleation and growth are
two basic sequential processes of freezing. Nucleation means the formation of ice crystal, which
is followed by ‘growth’ process that indicates the subsequent increase in crystal size.

• Controlled Atmosphere (CA) and Modified Atmosphere (MA) Storage

Food preservation can be achieved through controlled and modified atmospheres of the storage
environment. An inhibition of microbial growth and a decrease in respiration of fresh fruits and
vegetables occur when the oxygen density in the storage environment air is decreased and carbon
dioxide concentration is increased. There are three ways to change the composition of air in a
storage environment (1) Controlled atmosphere storage (CAS) involves regulation of oxygen,
carbon dioxide, and ethylene gas, (2) Modified atmosphere storage (MAS) is when the storage

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environment is sealed so that the air is changed by the natural food respiration, and (3) Modified-
atmosphere packaging (MAP) is done by sealing the product to change the composition of the air.

• Aseptic packaging

Aseptic packaging involves placing commercially sterilized food in a sterilized package which is
then subsequently sealed in an aseptic environment. Conventional aseptic packaging utilizes paper
and plastic materials. Sterilization can be achieved either by heat treatment, by chemical
treatment, or by attributing both of them. Aseptic packaging is highly used to preserve juices, dairy
products, tomato paste, and fruit slices. It can increase the shelf life of food items to a large extent;
as an example, UHT pasteurization process can extend the shelf life of liquid milk from 19 to
90 days, whereas combined UHT processing and aseptic packaging extend shelf life to six months
or more. Packages used for aseptic processing are produced from plastics having relative softening
temperature. Moreover, aseptic flling can accept a wide range of packaging materials including:
(a) metal cans sterilized by superheated steam, (b) paper, foil, and plastic laminates sterilized by
hot hydrogen peroxide, and (c) a variety of plastic and metal containers sterilized by high-pressure
steam.

• Irradiation

Irradiation is a physical process in which substance undergoes a definite dose of ionizing radiation
(IR). IR can be natural and artificial. Natural IR generally includes X-rays, gamma rays, and high-
energy ultraviolet (UV) radiation; artificially generated IR is accelerated electrons and induced
secondary radiation. IR is used in 40 different countries on more than 60 different foods. The
effects of IR include: (a) disinfestation of grains, fruits, and vegetables, (b) improvement in the
shelf life of fruits and vegetables by inhibiting sprouting or by altering their rate of maturation and
senescence, and (c) improvement in shelf life of foods by the inactivation of spoilage organisms
and improvement in the safety of foods by inactivating foodborne pathogens.

Novel Physical Methods for Food Preservation

DENSE-PHASE CARBON DIOXIDE

Dense-phase carbon dioxide (DPCD) processing is a nonthermal processing technology. In DPCD

processes, carbon dioxide (CO2) is held under high pressure in the liquid or gaseous phase, as well
as in the supercritical state . A supercritical fluid can be defined as a substance held at a pressure
and temperature at which there is no distinction between the liquid and the vapor phases.
Supercritical conditions take place above a specific combination of pressure and temperature
known as the critical point. For the case of CO2, supercritical conditions exist above ∼7.38 MPa
and ∼31°C.

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Figure: DPCD processing diagram.

DPCD processing has largely been studied for the processing of liquid foods. The liquid food is
often heated to a mild temperature (30 to 50°C) and then is subjected to pressure above the
critical point of CO2. The CO2 is injected into the liquid food, and these conditions are maintained
for a specific holding time, which is followed by the release of CO2 through depressurization (1,
4–6) (Fig. 26.1). The application of DPCD has also been studied in solid foods. However, this
technology is less effective in solid foods than in liquid foods for inactivating microorganisms.
Different phenomena have been proposed to explain the antimicrobial effect of DPCD. One
probable contributing factor could be the decrease of pH caused by the incorporation of CO2 into
the liquid medium. Another mechanism could involve the denaturation of microbial enzymes,
caused by the decrease in pH, the formation of bicarbonate complexes with enzymes, or
precipitation of metal ions within the enzymes to form bicarbonate salts.

FILTRATION

In filtration, particles of different sizes are removed from a liquid medium by forcing the liquid
through a porous matrix. The liquid that passes through the filtration medium is called filtrate, and
the fraction that contains the removed particles is the retentate. Different mechanisms can serve
as the driving force behind the removal of particles, such as a pressure gradient, a concentration
gradient, or an electric field. Filtration can be classified into microfiltration, ultrafiltration,

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nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis. For filtration to effectively remove microorganisms from the
liquid medium, a pore diameter of 0.20 to 0.22 μm is needed, as well as a low initial microbial load
in the liquid medium. Filtration offers the advantage of reducing the energy costs of the thermal
treatments often used to inactivate microorganisms.

Figure : Capabilities for removal of different substances by different types of filtration

Chemical methods

Food preservation using chemical reagents is one of the ancient and traditional methods.
Effectiveness of this method depends on the concentration and selectivity of the chemical
reagents, spoilage-causing organisms, and the physical and chemical characteristics of food items.

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Preservatives

"preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foodstuffs by protecting them against
the deterioration caused by microorganisms". In fact, most of the effective and widely used
preservatives are acids, for example, the weak lipophilic organic acids such as sorbate, benzoate,
and propionate, or the inorganic ones such as sulfite or nitrite. The list of recognized preservatives
includes sorbic acid/sorbates, benzoic acid/benzoates, sulfur dioxide (S02)/sulfites, formic
acid/formates, propionic acid/propionates, boric acid (in caviar), and nitrites (in meat). Some, such
as citric acid, acetic acid, and lactic acid, are used at high concentration (per cent levels) and are
often regarded as acidulants rather than antimicrobial agents. Others, such as sorbic and benzoic
acids, are known primarily as food preservatives. The range of concentrations used is partly a
reflection of legislative limits and partly a function of the pH of the food in which the acid is used.

The pH and organic acid content of foods are two significant factors that may determine not only
the types of organisms that will survive during storage but also their activities as spoilage
organisms. In general, growth of important food-spoilage and food-poisoning organisms occurs
over the range pH 4-8, whereas spoilage yeasts and molds are able to grow and survive at lower
pH. The pH . of a food can be lowered artificially by the addition of significant amounts of acid:
for example, acetic, citric, and lactic acids are often added to foods to lower the pH and in this
way to limit microbial growth.

Table : Most widely used food preservatives

Preservative Example of use

Weak lipophilic organic acids and esters Cheeses, syrups, cakes, dressings Pickles, soft
Sorbate Benzoate, Benzoate esters (e.g. drinks, dressings Marinaded fish products,
methyl, propyl), Propionate Bread, cakes, cheese, grain
Organic acids Lactic, citric, malic acid, etc. Acidulants for low-pH sauces, mayonnaises,
Acetic acid dressings, salads, drinks, fruit juices, and
concentrates
Mineral acids Phosphoric, hydrochloric Soft drinks

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Inorganic anions Sulfite (S02, metabisulfite) Fruit pieces, dried fruits, wine, meat
(sausages)
Nitrite Cured meats
Antibiotics Nisin Pimaricin (natamycin) Cheeses, canned food Soft fruit, fermented
meats
Enzymes Lysozyme, Smoke Cheeses Meats and fish

Table: Major food-grade organic acids and conditions of use. Food uses and permitted
concentrations vary greatly in different countries

Acid (or salt) Typical food use Typical concentration (ppm)

Formic acid Fruit juice concentrates 4,000
Semi-preserved fish products 300--1,000
Acetic acid Pickles, chutneys, sauces A few thousand up to % levels
Salad creams and dressings in vinegars
Vinegar
Propionic acid Bread 2,000-5,000
Jams, tomato puree 1,000
Sorbic acid Non-alcoholic drinks 100--1,000
Alcoholic drinks 200
Processed fruit and 500-2,000
vegetables
Bakery products 1,000-2,000
Mayonnaise and sauces 1,000-2,000
Benzoic acid Alcoholic drinks 200
Salads, mustard 1,000
Citric acid Non-alcoholic drinks, Jams A few thousand up to % levels
and jellies, Bakery products,
Cheese, Canned vegetables,
Sauces, Packet dry soup and
cake mixes

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Food additives

Unlike preservatives, food additives are not intended to slow down the threat of
microbes or fungus. So, what purpose do they serve?

Most food manufacturers use additives in their products to either enhance the flavor,
give it a more desirable appearance or to change its colour. Some of the most
common additives found in food include salt, vinegar, sweeteners, citric acid and
food colouring

Food additives are substances of natural or synthetic origin, which are added to foods to serve a
certain technological or sensory function. Food additives have been used throughout history to
perform specific functions in foods. In recent decades, there have been rapid developments in
food science and technology, leading to an increase in the number and variety of substances used
to perform functions in food or ‘food additives’.At present, there are up to 2500 food additives
being used worldwide. A large number of studies has confirmed that consuming excessive
amounts of synthetic food additives may cause gastrointestinal, respiratory, dermatologic, and
neurologic adverse reactions.

Figure : Main categories of food additives.

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Biological methods

In recent years, with increasing consumer awareness on healthy consumption, tendency to

consumption of natural/minimally processed foods that are free from chemical substances is
increasing. Therefore, food manufacturers give a priority to the use of natural additives in food
processing to meet customer acceptance and fulfill legal obligations. Nowadays, biopreservation
of foods is becoming very popular.

Fermentation method uses microorganisms to preserve food. This method involves

decomposition of carbohydrates with the action of microorganisms and/or the enzymes. Bacteria,
yeasts, and molds are the most common groups of microorganisms involved in fermentation of a
wide range of food items, such as dairy products, cereal-based foods, and meat products.

Fermentation enhances nutritional value, healthfulness, and digestibility of foods. This is a healthy
alternative of many toxic chemical preservatives.

Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Metabolites

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have an important role in the production of antimicrobial substances.
LAB are common microorganisms in nature and play roles in the manufacture of a diversity of
fermented foods such as cheese, pickle, yogurt, wine, and fermented sausage by becoming
predominant culture in their microflora. As a result of LAB activity in fermented foods, some
metabolites such as lactic acid, acetic acid, diacetyl, ethyl alcohol, acetone, acetaldehydes, carbon
dioxide, and bacteriocins are produced. In addition to giving taste and flavor to the foods, these
metabolites play an important role in preventing pathogen microorganisms’ growth in foods.

LAB are generally abundant in the environments rich in nutritive and are naturally found in
fermented dairy, meat, and vegetable foods (Carr et al., 2002). In addition to the contribution of
LAB fermentation on textural and sensorial properties of foods, they also play an important role
in the inactivation of saprophyte and pathogenic bacteria by producing antimicrobial substances
(Hugas, 1998). Therefore, they are considered as strong biopreservation agents found in foods.
Besides their strong biopreservative properties, LAB are safe microorganisms and are approved as
generally recognized as safe.

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Fermentation and bread making

Bread is another food product made by the process of fermentation. The addition of yeasts brings
about the fermentation of sugars present in the mixture, resulting in the formation of a product
that will remain edible much longer than will the original raw materials used in the bread-making
process.

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• Yeasts

Yeasts may influence the quality of fermented foods in both negative and positive directions.
Besides their contribution to taste and aroma, they may cause spoilage of foods. Yeasts show
killing effect on some yeasts and molds owing to their killer toxins. Yeasts and molds can cause
spoilage and loss of the quality of cheese, yogurt, bakery products, and fermented meat products.
In addition to desired antifungal effects of killer yeasts in foods, sometimes it is not desired when
yeast growth is required. Debaryomyces hansenii is used as a biocontrol agent in cheese and
yogurt against the growth of some molds (Aspergillus sp., Cladosporium sp., Eurotium chevalieri,
Penicillium candidum, and Penicillium roqueforti). Numerous studies were carried out focusing on
the use of killer yeast in the biopreservation of harvested fruits and vegetables. After harvesting
the defensive mechanism of fruits and vegetables weakens and wounded and overripe products
can be attacked easily by molds. Therefore, some chemical substances are used for fruit and
vegetable preservation after harvesting. Studies showed that killer yeasts and their toxins can be
used as an alternative for chemical substances.

Use of Enzymes for Biopreservation of Foods

In biological systems, some naturally found enzymes serve as antagonistic agents against
microorganisms. On the other hand, those enzymes constitute another group of natural
antimicrobial agents used in the biopreservation of foods. These enzymes include oxidases,
lipases, proteases, lactoperoxidase (LP), myeloperoxidase, amylases, lysostaphin, conalbumin, and
avidin endolysins.

Use of Essential Oils in Food Preservation

EOs are volatile and fragrant compounds with an oily consistency typically produced by plants.
They differ from other fixed oils in terms of their rapid evaporation when exposed to heat. They
can be liquid at room temperature although a few of them show solid like behavior and have
different colors ranging from pale yellow to emerald green and from blue to dark brownish red.

They can be extracted from all plant organs, that is, buds, flowers, leaves, stems, twigs, seeds,
fruits, roots, wood, or bark, and are stored in secretory cells, cavities, canals, epidermal cells

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EOs are composed of more than 60 individual components classified in different groups such as
hydrocarbons (e.g., pinene, limonene, the bisabolene), alcohols (e.g., linalool and santalol), acids
(e.g., benzoic acid and geranic acid), aldehydes (e.g., citral), etc.

EOs and their constituents have been broadly tested in vitro as well as biopreservation of a
diversity of foods such as minced beef, cheese, vegetables, salads, fish products, and chicken

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