INDEX

1 OBJECTIVE
2 CONCENTRATION EFFECT
3 INTRODUCTION
3 AIM
4 APPARATUS REQUIRED
5 MATERIALS & CHEMICALS
6 THEORY
7 FOOD PRESERVATION
7.1 PRINCIPLES OF FOOD PRESERVATION
7.2 METHODS OF FOOD PRESERVATION
8 PROCEDURE
9 EFFECT OF CONCENTRATION OF SUGAR
10 EFFECT OF CONCENTRATION OF KHSO3
11 EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE
12 EFFECT OF TIME
13 RESULTS,CONCLUSIONS&SUGGESTIONS
14 BIBLIOGRAPHY
 OBJECTIVE

The objective of this project is

to study the effect of Potassium
bisulphite as a food preservative
under various conditions.
Conditionsz
CONCENTRATION EFFECT

Effect of Concentration :-
1) Sugar
2) Temperature
3) KHSO3
4) Time
 INTRODUCTION
Growth of microorganisms in a food material can be
inhibited by adding certain chemical substances.
However the chemical substances should not be
harmful to human beings. Such chemical substances
which are added to food materials to prevent their
spoilage are known aschemical preservatives. In our
country, two chemical preservatives which are
permitted for use are:
1. Benzoic acid(orsodium benzoate)
2. Sulphur dioxide(orpotassium bisulphite)
Benzoic acid or its sodium salt, sodium benzoate is
commonly used for the preservation of food materials.
For the preservation of fruits, fruit juices, squashes
and jams sodium benzoate is used as preservative
because it is soluble in water and hence easily mixes
with the food product.
Potassium bisulphiteis used for the preservation of
colourless food materials such as fruit juices,
squashes, apple and raw mango chutney.
This is not used for preserving coloured food materials
Because Sulphur dioxide produced from this chemical
is a bleaching agent.Potassium bisulphite on reaction
with acid of the juice liberates Sulphur dioxide which
is very effective in killing the harmful micro -
organisms present in food stuffs and thus prevents it
from getting spoilt.

HSO3 – (aq) + H+ (aq) H2O(l) + SO2(g)

The advantage of this method is that no harmful

chemical is left in the food. The Manitoba Agriculture,
Food and Rural Initiatives reports that this product
works to‘prevent the growth of mould, yeast and
bacteria in foods. It is also an additive for homemade
wine.
Potassium bisulphite is found in some cold drinks and
fruit juice concentrates. Sulphites are common
preservatives in smoked or processed
meats and dried fruits. In spray form, it may help
prevent foods from discolouring or browning.
AIM
The aim of this project is to study the effect of
potassium bisulphite as food preservative.

1. At different intervals of time

2. For different concentrations.

3. At different Temperature.

APPARATUS
 THEORY
Food materials undergo natural changes due to
temperature, time and enzymatic actionand become
unfit for consumption. These changes may be checked
by adding small amounts of potassium bisulphite.
Theeffectiveness of KHSO3 as preservative depends
upon its concentration under different conditions
which may be determined experimentally. An ideal
method of food preservation has the following
characteristics:-
1.It improves shelf-life and safety by inactivating
spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms,
2. It does not change organoleptic (smell, taste, colour,
texture, etc.) and nutritional attributes,
3.It does not leave residues,
4.It is cheapand convenient to apply.
5.It encounters no objection from consumers and
legislators.
 ‘‘FOOD PROCESSING’’
Food processing is the transformation of raw
ingredients, by physical or chemical means into food, or
of food into other forms. Food processing combines
raw food ingredients to produce marketable food
products that can be easily prepared and served by the
consumer. Food processing typically involves activities
such as mincing and macerating, liquefaction,
emulsification, and cooking (such as boiling, broiling,
frying, or grilling); pickling, pasteurization, and many
other kinds of preservation; and canning or other
packaging. (Primary-processing such as dicing or slicing,
freezing or drying when leading to secondary products
are also included.)
Benefits:-Benefits of food processing include toxin
removal, preservation, easing marketing and
distribution tasks, and increasing food consistency. In
addition, it increases yearly availability of many foods,
enables transportation of delicate perishable foods
across long distances and makes many kinds of foods
safe to eat by de-activating spoilage and pathogenic
micro-organisms. Modern supermarkets would not exist
without modern food processing techniques, and long
voyages would not be possible.
Processed foods are usually less susceptible to early
spoilage than fresh foods and are better suited for
long distance transportation from the source to the
consumer. When they were first introduced, some
processed foods helped to alleviate food shortages and
improved the overall nutrition of populations as it made
many new foods available to the masses.
Processing can also reduce the incidence of food borne
disease. Fresh materials, such as fresh produce and
raw meats, are more likely to harbor pathogenic micro-
organisms (e.g. Salmonella) capable of causing serious
illnesses.
The extremely varied modern diet is only truly possible
on a wide scale because of food processing.
Transportation of more exotic foods, as well as the
elimination of much hard labourives the modern eater
easy access to a wide variety of food unimaginable to
their ancestors.
Drawbacks:-Any processing of food can affect its
nutritional density. The amount of nutrients lost
depends on the food and processing method. For
example, heat destroys vitamin C. Therefore, canned
fruits possess less vitamin C than their fresh
alternatives. The USDA conducted a study in 2004,
creating a nutrient retention table for several foods.
New research highlighting the importance to human
health of a rich microbial environment in the intestine
indicates that abundant food processing (not
fermentation of foods) endangers that environment.
Using food additives represents another safety
concern. The health risks of any given additive vary
greatly from person to person; for example using sugar
as an additive endangers diabetics. In the European
Union, only European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
approved food additives (e.g., sweeteners,
preservatives, stabilizers) are permitted at specified
levels for use in food products. Approved additives
receive an E number (E for Europe), simplifying
communication about food additives included in the
ingredients' list for all the different languages spoken
in the EU. As effects of chemical additives are learnt,
changes to laws and regulatory practices are made to
make such processed foods more safe.

Principles of food preservation

There are three basic objectives for the preservation
of foods:-
1. Prevention of contamination of food from damaging
agents.
2. Delay or Prevention of growth of microorganisms in
the food
3. Delay if enzymic spoilage, i.e. self – decomposition of
the food by naturally occurring enzymes within it.
The food preservation methods by which the
microbial,decomposition of foods can be delayed
or prevented include:-

1. Restrict access of microorganisms to foods

(packaging and aseptic packaging),
2. Removal of microorganisms (by filtration
orcentrifugation),
3. Slow or prevent the growth and activity of
microorganisms (reduction in temperature,
wateractivity and pH, removal of oxygen, modified
atmosphere packaging and addition of preservatives).
4. Inactivation of microorganisms (by heat, radiations,
high hydrostatic pressures, ultra soundand pulsed
electric fields). These methods usually are also
effective against enzymatic activity or chemical
reactions in the food, responsible for its self-
decomposition. Changes in the requirement of
consumers in recent years have included a desire for
foods which are more convenient, higher quality,
fresher in flavor, texture and appearance, more natural
with fewer additives and nutritionally healthier than
hitherto. Food industry reactions to these changes
have been to develop less severe or minimal
preservation and processing technologies with less
intensive heating or use of less chemical preservatives.
However, minimal technologies tend to result in a
reduction in the intrinsic preservation of foods, and
may, therefore, also lead to a potential reduction in
their microbiological safety.. A major trend is to
applythese techniques in new combinations, in ways that
minimize the extreme use of any one of them, and so
improve food product quality.

‘‘MEthODS OF FOOD PRESERvatION”

1. Physical methods of preservation =>The foods to be
preserved are physically processed or treated in such a
way that the metabolic activity of microorganisms and
their spores either slowed down or completely
arrested. These various physical methods used for the
preservation of foods are as follows.
Asepsis Keeping quality of foods can be increased by
introducing as few spoilage organisms as possible i.e.,
by reducing the amount of contamination. In nature,
there are numerous examples of asepsis or removal of
microorganisms as a protective factor.
The presence of a protective covering surrounding
some foods e.g. shells of nuts, shells of eggs, skin of
fruits and vegetables and fat on meats and fish,
prevents microbial entry and decomposition until it is
damaged.
2.Chemical methods of preservation =>In food
industries, contamination is prevented by packaging
foods in a wide variety of artificial coverings ranging
from a loose carton or wrapping to the hermetically
sealed containers of canned foods.
Moreover, practicing sanitary methods during the
processing and handling of foods reduces total
microbial load and thus improves the keeping quality of
food. Both flexible. Many chemicals will kill micro-
organisms or stop their growth but most of these are
not permitted in foods; chemicals that are permitted
as food preservatives are listed in Table 5.3.1. Chemical
food preservatives are those substances which are
added in very low quantities (up to 0.2%) and which do
not alter the organoleptic and physico-chemical
properties of the foods at or only very little.
Preservation of food products containing chemical food
preservatives is usually based on the combined or
synergistic activity of several additives, intrinsic
product parameters (e.g. composition, acidity, water
activity) and extrinsic factors (e.g. processing
temperature, storage atmosphere and temperature).
This approach minimises undesirable changes in product
properties and reduces concentration of additives and
extent of processing treatments.
The concept of combinations of preservatives and
treatments to preserve foods is frequently called the
hurdle or barrier concept. Combinations of additives
and preservatives systems provide unlimited
preservation alternatives for applications in Chemical
food preservatives are applied to foods as direct
additives during processing, or develop by themselves
during processes such as fermentation. Certain
preservatives have been used either accidentally or
intentionally for centuries, and include sodium chloride
(common salt), sugar, acids, alcohols and components of
smoke. In addition to preservation, these compounds
contribute to the quality and identity of the products,
and are applied through processing procedures such as
salting, curing, fermentation and smoking.
 PROCEDURE:
1) Take fresh fruits, wash them thoroughly with water
and peel off their outer cover.
2) Grind it to a paste in the mortar with a pestle.
3) Mix with sugar and colouring matter.
4) The material so obtained is fruit jam. It may be
used to study the effect of concentration of sugar and
KHSO3, temperature and time.

(A)Effect of concentration of Sugar:-

1. Take three wide mouthed reagent bottles labeled
as I II III.Put 100 gms of fruit jam in each bottle.
2. Add 5.0 gms, 10.0 gms and 15.0 gms of sugar to
bottle No. I, II and III respectively.
3. Add 0.5 gm of KHSO3 to each bottle.
4. Mix contents thoroughly with a stirring rod.
5. Close the bottle and allow them to stand for one
week or 10 days at room temperature.
6. Observe the changes taking place in Jam every day.

RECORD:-
Result: The increase in concentration of sugar
causesfast decaying
(B)Effect of concentration of KHSO3 :–
1. Put 100 gm of Jam in each bottle.
2. Add 5.0 gm of sugar to each bottle.
3. Take bottles labeled as I, II, III.
4. Add 1.0 gm, 2.0 gm and 3.0 gm of KHSO3 to bottle
No. I, II and III respectively.

5. Mix the contents thoroughly with a glass rod.

6. Keep all the bottles at room temperature for about
10 days and observe the changes everyday.

Result: The increase in concentration of KHSO3

increase more time of preservation
(C)Effect of temperature:–
1. Take 100 gm of Jam in three bottles labelled as I,
II and III.
2. Add 10.0 gm of sugar and 2.0 gm of KHSO3 to
bottle No. I, II and III respectively.

3. Mix the contents thoroughly with a stirring rod.

4. Keep bottle No. I in the refrigerator at 0˚C, bottle
No. II at room temperature (25˚C) and bottle No.
III in a thermostat at 50˚C. Observe the changes
taking place in the jam for 10 days.
(D)Effect of time: –
1. Take three bottles and label them as I, II and III.
2. To each bottle add 25 g of Jam and 1 g of potassium
bisulphite.

3. Keep bottle I for 7 days, bottle II for 14 days and

bottle III for 21 days at room temperature.
4. Note the changes taking place in each bottle and
record the observations.
RESULTS,CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
From the experiment, we can conclude that KHSO3
acts as a viable food preservative whose increased
concentration can increase time forpreservation. But
increase in concentration of sugar content in the food
material causes fast decaying. Also, the
7 14 21
I No
II No Taste
Changes III No No Unpleasant smell
Develops experiment shows that rateof fermentation
of food stuffs is directly proportional to temperature
conditions. On passage of time, even in the presence of
KHSO3,the food gets spoiled. Though potassium
bisulphite is a good food preservative (class II
preservative), it can trigger lung irritation andasthma.
So, our suggestion is that the usage of food
preservatives must be reduced to the extent
possible.Food containing more amountof sugar is not
favorable to keep for a longtime,Potassium bisulphite is
a good preservative.
Uses=>There are a number of uses for potassium
bisulfite as a food preservative. The Manitoba
Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives reports this
product works to prevent the growth of mold, yeast
and bacteria in foods. It is also an additive for
homemade wine.
Potassium bisulfate is found in some cold drinks and
fruit juice concentrates. Sulfites are common
preservat-ives in smoked or processed meats and dried
fruits. In spray form, it may help prevent foods from
discoloring or browning.
Availability =>Potassium bisulfite is primarily a
commercial product. You might find this chemical
compound at meat processing plants. Manufacturers
of juice drinks and concentrate will use potassium
bisulfite to increase the shelf life of their products.
The preservative is also available for home use.
Allergies =>Sulphites such as potassium bisulfite
can trigger an attack for thosewith asthma. Potassium
bisulfite may cause lung irritation.