Sierra Nevada Airstreams -> TT Owner's Guide -> Living

Recreation with vehicles in the Sierra Nevada and American Great Basin areas

disclaimer - owner's guide - sierraNevadaAirstreams.org -

Food Preservation

Food preservation is the process of holding food in one condition for an extended period of time. There are two forces working against food staying in one condition. The first is the action of the food itself as its components work towards ripening or decomposition or similar processes. The second is the action of bacteria that spoils, ferments, or otherwise changes the food. Preservation slows or stops these processes. Usually, food preservation processes attempt to make minimal changes to food taste or nutritional value but some procedures are valued for the changes they make such as for cheeses, wine and beer, pickling, and smoked meats.

Time tested methods: desiccation and acidification

Pickling, salting, and dehydration are perhaps the oldest methods of preserving food. They work by making the food inhospitable to bacteria. Salt (and sugar) inhibit bacteria by competing with the bacteria for moisture. Most fruits are acidic so their juices will have a pH acidity measure of less than the 4.5 needed to inhibit bacteria growth. Fermentation is another means to acidify foods such as yogurt or cheese.

Resources

National Center for Home Food Preservation

How Food Preservation Works . a brief description of the science and technology behind food preservation.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Food Preservation Methods . many links to useful documents

Food preservation in the Roman Empire . a bit about techniques in use 2000 years ago.

North Dakota State University . many links to useful documents about food, food safety, and nutrition

Support our site, Donations accepted thanks to the Amazon.com

note: all photographs on this site are for personal, private, and non-commercial use only. All other copyrights are retained by the individual photographers. See our policy. Disclaimer: any advice or suggestion presented is provided for informational purposes only and is correct and accurate only to the best of our knowledge at the time it was written. Anyone using such information does so at their own risk. Errors or omissions may exist and additional sources of information or appropriately licensed or qualified personnel should be consulted in deciding a course of action. We assume no liability or obligation by providing this information and warn any users of this information that they do so at their own risk. All links or references to commercial vendors or other sources of information and equipment do not intend or imply or convey any endorsement of that source or the product. They are provided strictly for informational purposes to illustrate the topic at hand. Sierra Nevada Airstreams Enjoyment of the whispering winds, the zephyrs, the airstreams of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin areas of the United States is a personal, nonprofit, noncommercial web site intended for educational and recreational use only. This site is supported by volunteer effort and contributions.