How did food preservation come about

A. Before intensive farming and before foods could be flown from all over the world for us to buy in the shops, people grew their own foods. These smallholders had to concentrate on cultivating one crop and then harvesting�and sowing another. That meant a glut of certain foods at certains times of the year, which had to be kept to feed the family during the winter months.

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Q. Why is it important

A. Food is a natural organic product, which, in contact with heat, light and oxygen will succumb to destruction by bacteria. These bacteria are either airborne or occur naturally in the food and are harmless until they start to rot the food. The point of food preservation is to eliminate the conditions that allow bacteria to grow.

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Q. What did people do before refrigeration and freezing

A. They were fantastically inventive because their lives literally depended on it. As soon as fish were caught, for example, they were packed in barrels of salt. Salt was a commonly used preservative. Pickling was also very common and still is in some households. Fruits were preserved in syrup or as jams. The key here being the elimination of air from the sterilised jars to stop bacteria forming and thriving.

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Q. What does pickling do to foods
A. The acid in the vinegar acts as a food preservative.

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Q. What does canning do to foods

A. Canning protects the food in a completely airtight, and, therfore, bacteria-free, environment.

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Q. What difference does vacuum-packed make

A. Again it eliminates any possibility of air-borne bacteria coming into contact with the food and stops any bacteria naturally present in the food from multiplying.

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Q. Why can you only keep foods in the freezer for a certain length of time

A. You can keep them frozen for ever, but after three to six months the colour, flavour, and texture may be impaired.

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Q. How long can you keep preserved foods

A. After a year pickled foods tend to go soft and lose their crispness. Jams last longer and canned foods you can keep for years.

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To ask more questions about food and drink, click here

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