Note:Presentation to 2nd year food students on preservation of foods.NIFTEM, Sonepet, IndiaIf someone reading this presentation can update it with events I have missed email: godesai@gmail.com

FOOD PRESERVATION- A TIMELINE

Nitin Desai, Ph.Dgodesai@gmail.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-desai-1bbb8036Saoirse, LLCConsultantsFlorida, USA

July 2016

“Food preservation is a method or process to extend the shelf-life of foods. The main objectives are to prevent food spoilage, maintain the aesthetic value - sensory properties (color, texture, flavor) and nutritional value of the stored food”

“The preservation method or the process to be used would largely depend on the type of food – solid, semi-solid, liquid, living (fruits and vegetables) and the shelf-life needed”

Food Preservation has evolved over time……..Let us construct a timeline and we will learn from the history about food preservation

A Timeline for Preservation of Foods

Paleolithic/Mesolithic AgeHunters, Gatherers

Before 10000 BC

Around 10000 BC

Neolithic Age Agricultural Based LifeMesopotamia 10,000BCGreece 7,000 BCIndia 5,000 BC

Solar Drying of Grains, Spices, Fish

Control FireHeating, SmokingOf Foods

Around 2500 BC

Excavations in Egypt at the Giza Pyramids. Show the presence of large bakery sites.

Drying Grains, Milling into flour, Making/Baking flat breadsNational Geographic January, 1995

Around 2500 BC ca 30 BC

Cleopatra used to have cucumber pickles• Brining in saltFermented cabbage – Sauerkraut in Germany and Kimchi in Far East - Korea • Low pH, salt

India - Mango Pickles

So far from our time line of food preservation we have learned the following:

1. Heat and Smoke 2. Solar Drying (Dehydration)3. Milling grains, Baking flat breads4. Brining (salt) and low pH (acidity)

1800 AD

Antoni Van Leeuvenhoek1632 – 1723 Delft, NetherlandsMicroscopy, BiologistFather of Microbiology

Hobby – grinding lensesInvented simple single lens microscope and first to observe unicellular organisms500+ letters to Royal Society in UK including specimensFirst to observe large bacteria in saliva and other specimens

1650 AD

Napoleon Bonaparte1769 – 1821 FranceEmperor, Military Leader

“An army marches on itsstomach”In 1795 he offered 15,000Francs to anyone who could invent new preserved food for his army

1810 AD

Nicholas Appert1749 – 1841 FranceConfectioner, Chef Father of Canning

Experimented with success and preserved soups, vegetables, juices, dairy products, jellies, jams, and syrups in glass jars, capping with cork and heating in a water bath. He won the prize and published “The Art of Preserving Animal and Vegetable Substances” the first cookbook with preservation methods. Since 1942 IFT has an award recognizing lifetime achievement in food technology its called the Nicholas Appert award

Food in sealed water bottles in water bath attained temp. 70-80⁰. In 1810 Peter Durand (British Inventor) patented the tin can.In 1900’s mass production of foods in tin cans started after the invention of the can opener!

Note: Canning/Sterilization is accomplished at 121⁰C for 3 to 15 minutes at 15-20 psig pressure in an autoclaveCanning became popular during World War I

1860 1880 – 1910’s 1920 – 1930’s

Louis Pasteur1822 – 1885 FranceChemist, Scientist, InventorFathers of Germ Theory

Found that heating beer or wine killed most bacteria and prevented it from becoming sour. The process is known as pasteurization and is used to pasteurize milk, fruit juices, beer. HTST involves heating the product to 75⁰C for 15 secs. This heat treatment was sufficient to eliminate pathogenic bacteria and lower the count of spoilage causing bacteria

Development of Vapor Compression systems using Ammonia leads to the development of Refrigeration for foods.

Dairy Products – milk, butter, cheeseFruits and VegetablesJuices stored at 3 - 5⁰C.1930 GE develops the first home electric refrigerator. Frigidaire introduces CFC’s safer and cheaper refrigerator. Soon 50% households is US own refrigerators.

Clarence Birdseye1886 – 1956 USAInventor, Entrepreneur

Started the Birds Eye Frozen CompanyHad 26 varieties of frozen products – Frozen meats, oysters, filet of fish, spinach, peas, fruits berries.Temperature -10⁰C inhibits growth of microorganisms

REFRIGERATION

So far from our time line of food preservation we have learned the following:

1. Heat and Smoke 2. Solar Drying (Dehydration)3. Milling grains, Baking flat breads4. Brining (salt) and low pH (acidity)5. Canning6. Pasteurization7. Refrigeration8. Freezing

1930’s 1940’s

Alexander Fleming1816 – 1888 UKBacteriologist, ImmunologistNobel Prize 1945

Fleming discovered the antibiotic penicillin.Chain, Florey and Heatley worked on purification, stabilization and manufacture of penicillin.Since World War II millions of lives have been saved using penicillin.1950’s research was conducted on use of antibiotics to preserve foods.

Spray Drying TechnologyPatents filed in 1870’s but large scale manufacture started in 1940’s

Milk powders, starch and starch derivatives, proteins, gums, encapsulated flavors, spices, vitamins, enzymes, sweeteners, colors

SPRAY DRYING

1950’s

Food Irradiation the application of ionizing radiation to food. Application of Gamma rays emitted from radioactive forms of Cobalt 60 or Cesium 137. Does not produce radio activity.

Meats, sea-foods, fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, seeds, spices and seasonings.Used in several Space program foods. Food Irradiation is also known as “Cold Pasteurization”

FOOD IRRADIATION

International Symbol for Irradiation

A low dosage of irradiation is used to:Inhibit sprouting, Delay ripening of fruits and stop insect infestation

Permitted in 60 countries and approximately 500,000 tons are processed annually. Most countries allow the irradiation of herbs, spices and seasonings, fruits and vegetables and meat and poultry

1960’s

It is a process where a sterile (aseptic) product is placed in a sterile container and sealed. The first aseptic processing plant was in Switzerland in 1961 for milk.

UHT or flash heating process 146⁰C for sec/min is used to sterilize fluid foods.Typical containers are laminates of paper, LDPE, and aluminum. Containers are sterilized using peroxide, live steam, irradiation.

Aseptic containers can be from several liters – Bag-In-Box to millions liters for shipping containers.

ASEPTIC PROCESSING

1970’s 1975

Microwave TechnologyNon-ionizing microwave radiation at frequency near 2.45 Ghz and wavelength 12 cm are produced in a cavity magnetron

Industrial applications – pasteurization of fresh pasta. Drying and baking applications.House hold use of microwave ovens to heat foods is the most common use for microwaves

MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY SOUS-VIDE

Sous-vide is French meaning under vacuum. In this method food is sealed in evacuated plastic bags and immersed in a water batch at 55 - 60⁰C for 1 to 4 hours. The purpose is to cook the food evenly without overcooking the outside.

Sous-vide is used in gourmet restaurants in Europe and USA. Gourmet food companies sel sous-vide products. Small market.

1978

Retort Pouch Technology was a joint effort ofUS Natick Labs, Reynolds Metals Co. and Continental Flexible Packaging Co. Developed for the Army as Meals or Ready-To-Eat (MRE’s). The invention received theIFT Industrial Achievement Award 1978

Process is similar to canning the pouches are filled with food and sealed. Heated in retort to 116-121⁰C for several minutes ensure kill of Clostridium botulinum sporesVariety of foods and drinks can be made. Armed forces, Space and Consumer Foods

The DFRL, Mysore has developed this technology in India and companies can license the technology

RETORT POUCH TECHNOLOGY

2000 and beyond – the future

High Pressure Technology Ohmic Heating3-D Printing TechnologyNatural Preservatives

Driving factors:Cost – Process, Raw MaterialAvailabilityNaturalNutritionSpace TravelAdapting new technologies from other fields

Methods/Process for Food Preservation

1. Heat and Smoke2. Solar Drying (Dehydration)3. Milling grains, Baking flat breads4. Brining (salt) and low pH (acidity)5. Canning6. Pasteurization7. Refrigeration8. Freezing9. Antibiotics10. Spray Drying11. Irradiation12. Microwave13. Aseptic Processing14. Retort Pouch Technology15. Food Additives not on the timeline

In most of the methods/process there is one common theme..it’s HEAT