PRESERVATION EQUIPMENT

FOOD PRESERVATION EQUIPMENT BY UNIT OPERATION

The preservation stage of the food processing production cycle ultimately aims to
prevent or inhibit the spoilage and increase the shelf life of food products.
There is a wide range of preservation methods available ranging from refrigeration to
heating to non-heating, each of which acts to destroy microorganisms and enzymes
within the food material or, at the very least, limit and depress their activity.
FOOD PRESERVATION EQUIPMENT BY UNIT OPERATION

Heat Processing Employs heat to destroy microorganisms and enzymes in food We have studied in the
(Application of Heat) last section
 FOOD PRESERVATION EQUIPMENT BY UNIT OPERATION

Chemical •Employs natural and non-natural chemical substances to Natural

prevent or inhibit spoilage
•Salt (salting)
•Can change the pH and other qualities of food material •Smokers (smoking)
•Acids (e.g., acetic acid, vinegar, etc.)

Non-Natural
•Sorbic acid
•Sulfur dioxide
•Benzoic acid
 FOOD PRESERVATION EQUIPMENT BY UNIT OPERATION

Water •Reduces the amount of water in food matter in solid, Drying

Reduction semi-solid, or liquid food material to inhibit •Convective dryers
microbiological and enzymatic process which cause •Contact (conductive) dryers
spoilage •Vacuum/freeze dryers
Solute Addition
•Sugar
•Salt
Concentration
•Evaporators
•Condensers
FOOD PRESERVATION EQUIPMENT BY UNIT OPERATION

Refrigeration •Reduces the temperature of food material to depress the Chilling (-1°C –8°C)
(Removal of biochemical and microbiological processes of Chillers
Heat) microorganisms and enzymes which cause spoilage Mechanical refrigerators
•Helps maintain quality and characteristics of food material Cryogenic systems
Freezing (below freezing point)
Freezers
Mechanical refrigerators
Cryogenic systems
FOOD PRESERVATION EQUIPMENT BY UNIT OPERATION

High pressure •Employs isostatic pressure to destroy microorganisms •High pressure processing
processing (HPP) •Little to no heating of food material equipment
(Non-thermal)

Irradiation •Employs ionizing radiation to destroy microorganisms and •Irradiation equipment, such as
(Non-thermal) inactivate enzymes which cause spoilage isotopes and electron
•Little to no heating of food material accelerators