Unit 4

Food Preservation Methods

Reading Text 1

Curing vs. Freezing

Food preservation is crucial for human life.
This method allows people to keep food for longer
period of times. As food can spoil, humans have tried
to figure out the way to maintain the food so that it
can be kept longer. There are many types of food
preservation methods but in this essay, I will focus
on curing and freezing. From these two methods,
there are some similarities and differences between
them in terms of history, usage, and chemicals used.
The history of curing and freezing are
different. Curing date back from ancient time and
the earliest evidence of people using this method
was from the Mediterranean world and ancient
Greece. However, this also spread out to other
regions around the world and is still used in the
modern day. On the other hand, freezing dates back
to the 19th century in only regions that have cold
climates but it gained popularity since the
introduction of mechanical freezers. Nowadays, we
can see all people using this method to preserve
their food.
The two methods are also different in terms
of the chemicals used for the process. Curing uses
more chemicals than freezing. For curing, the
commonly used chemicals are sugar, salt, and
nitrate and nitrites. Sugar is used to help the growth
of beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus. Meanwhile,
the addition of salt slows down the growth of
microorganisms. For nitrates and nitrites not only
help kill bacteria, but also produce a characteristic
flavor and give meat a pink or red color. In contrast,
freezing does not require any added preservatives
because microorganisms do not grow when the
temperature of the food is below −9.5 °C, which is
sufficient on its own in preventing food spoilage.
In terms of their usage, the two methods
have some similarities and differences. Based on its
history and its usage in the modern day, curing has
been used mainly to preserve meat, fish, and
vegetables. Meanwhile, the freezing technique has a
wider range of products that it can preserve. It can
basically preserve any types of food.
In conclusion, it can be seen that the two
methods of food preservation have similarities and
differences in regards to their history, chemicals
used for the process, and their main usages.

Facts Curing Freezing

History • Dates back from ancient time
until now in all regions.
• Earliest evidence in
Mediterranean world and
ancient Greece
Usage • Meat, fish, and vegetables
Chemicals • Salt: to slow down
microorganisms’ growth.
• Sugar: to help the growth of
beneficial bacteria like
Lactobacillus.
• Nitrates and nitrites: to kill
bacteria, produce a
characteristic flavor and give
meat a pink or red color.
• Dates back from the 19th
century in only regions that
have cold climate
• Developed since the
introduction of mechanical
freezers
• All types of food
• Frozen products do not
require any added
preservatives

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 Compare and Contrast 2
A comparative essay asks that you compare at least two (possibly more) items. These
items will differ depending on the assignment. You might be asked to compare:
✓ positions on an issue (e.g., responses to cyberwarfare in Russia and China)
✓ theories (e.g., capitalism and communism)
✓ figures (e.g., GDP in the United States and Britain)
✓ texts (e.g., Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth)
✓ events (e.g., the Great Depression and the global financial crisis of 2008–9)
Although the assignment may say “compare,” the assumption is that you will consider
both the similarities and differences; in other words, you will compare and contrast.

KNOW THIS!

Make sure you know the basis for the comparison

The assignment sheet may say exactly what you need to compare, or it may ask you
to come up with a basis for comparison yourself. Look at the differences in the table
below:

PROVIDED BY THE ESSAY QUESTION DEVELOPED BY YOU

The essay question may ask that you consider The question may simply ask that you compare
the figure of the gentleman in Charles the two novels.
Dickens’s Great Expectations and Anne
Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

The basis for comparison will be the figure of If so, you will need to develop a basis for
the gentleman. comparison, that is, a theme, concern, or
device common to both works from which you
can draw similarities and differences.

Step to Write Compare and Contrast

1. Develop a list of similarities and differences
Once you know your basis for comparison, think critically about the similarities and
differences between the items you are comparing, and compile a list of them.
For example, you might decide that goat milk is sweeter than cow milk.
The list you have generated is not yet your outline for the essay, but it should
provide you with enough similarities and differences to construct an initial plan. This
is similar with the table above in comparing Goat Milk vs. Cow Milk.
2. Develop a thesis based on the relative weight of similarities and differences
Once you have listed similarities and differences, decide whether the similarities on
the whole outweigh the differences or vice versa. Create a thesis statement that reflects
their relative weights. A more complex thesis will usually include both similarities and
differences.

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 Organizational Scheme
Your introduction will include your frame of reference, grounds for comparison, and thesis.
There are two basic ways to organize the body of your paper.
1. In text-by-text, you discuss all of A, then all of B.
2. In point-by-point, you alternate points about A with comparable points about B.
If you think that B extends A, you'll probably use a text-by-text scheme; if you see A and B
engaged in debate, a point-by-point scheme will draw attention to the conflict. No matter
which organizational scheme you choose, you need not give equal time to similarities and
differences. In fact, your paper will be more interesting if you get to the heart of your
argument as quickly as possible.
Abridged from https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/how-write-comparative-analysis

Transition Signal Used

COMPARE CONTRAST
Similarly neither... nor... However whereas
Likewise just like (+ noun) In contrast but
Also similar to (+ noun) In comparison to differ from
both... and... to be similar (to) By comparison to be different (from)
to compare (to/with) to be the same as On the other hand to be dissimilar to
not only... but also... to be alike While to be unlike
Source: https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/essays/candc/

Practice 1
A. Read and scan again the text entitled Curing vs. Freezing, then analyse the structure
of its comparison and contrast essay using the question below.

1. What tense is being used?

___________________________________________________________________________
2. How many paragraphs are there?
___________________________________________________________________________
3. What does the first paragraph contain?
___________________________________________________________________________
4. Underline the topic sentences in each body paragraphs!
___________________________________________________________________________
5. What is the last paragraph? What does it contain?
___________________________________________________________________________

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 Practice 2
Write a comparative essay about two different types of cheese based on the
information provided in the table below.

Facts Bacteria Fungi

Meaning • Bacteria are single-
celled microscopic
organisms that are
characterized by the
presence of incipient
nucleus and few
membrane-less cell
organelles.
• Bacteria are the most
ancient organisms
present till date.
Characteristics and shape • Prokaryotes
• Single-celled
• Cell lacks organelles
• Lack the nucleus
• The cell wall is made
up of peptidoglycan.
• Have three distinct
shapes (spiral, round,
and rod shape).
Uses • Acetobacter aceti for
chocolate
• Acetobacter fabarum
for coffee
• Arthrobacter
arilaitensis for cheese
• Acetobacter cerevisiae
for beer
• Fungi are the
multicellular,
eukaryotic organisms
with complex cell
structure.
• Eukaryotes
• Multi-celled
• Organelles present
• Nucleus present.
• The cell wall is made
up of chitin.
• Vary in shapes, but
most of them are in the
form of the thread-like
structure.
• Aspergillus acidus for
tea
• Aspergillus fumigatus
for chocolate
• Brevibacterium linens
for cheese
• Gluconacetobacter
johannae for coffee

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