ABSTRACT

To Study The Effect Of Potassium Bisulphite As a

Food Preservative Under Various Conditions Such As
Given Below:

 CONCENTRATION:
In chemistry, concentration can be defined as the measure
of the relative proportions of two or more quantities in a mixture.

 TIME:
Time is nothing but the measure of amount of concentration
during any process or activity taking place on that particular level
within the completion of the action took place during that process.

 TEMPERATURE:
Temperature is the degree or intensity of heat of that sub -
stance which is expressed according to a comparative scale in graph
and shown by a thermometer.

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 INTRODUCTION:
WHAT ARE PRESERVATIVES ?
Growth of micro – organisms in a food material can be inhibited by adding
certain chemical substance.However, the chemical substances should not be
harmful to the human beings.Such chemical substances which are added to
food materials to prevent their spoilage are known as chemical preservatives.
In our country, two chemical preservatives which are permitted for use
are:

1. Benzoic acid ( or sodium benzoate i.e. C7H6O2)

2. Potassium hydrogen sulphite (or potassium bisulphite i.e. KHSO3).
 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 it is used as preservative because
it is soluble in water and hence easily mixes with the food product. The
efficacy of benzoic acid and benzoate is thus dependent on the PH of
the food.

 POTASSIUM BISULPHITE is used for the preservation of colourless

food materials such as fruit juices, squashes, apples 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 and thus prevents it from getting
spoiled .

HSO3– (aq) + H+ (aq)  H2O (l) + SO2 (g)

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The advantage of this method is that no harmful chemical is left in the food.
The aim of the project is to study the effect of potassium bisulphite as food
preservative:

1. At different temperatures,

2. At different concentrations and

3. For different intervals of time.

DESCRIPTION OF APPARATUS WE ARE
GOING TO USE IN THIS PROJECT ARE AS
FOLLOWS :
1) CONICAL FLASKS – It is a glass laboratory flask of a
conical profile with a narrow tubular neck and a flat bottom, used to
manipulate

2) GLASS ROD – a glass rod is a piece of equipment used to mix

chemical and liquids for laboratory purposes. After every use of glass
rod it is recommended that it should be cleaned to avoid contamination. It
is also used as an aid for transferring the liquid into the funnel.

3) KNIFE – A knife is a tool with cutting edge or blade attached to a

handle.

4) APPLE – Apple is a kind of fruit which will help us in making jam

in this experiment.

5) SUGAR – Sugar is nothing but the sweet – tasting, soluble car-

bohydrates, which we use in our food sometimes. Simple sugars are called

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monosaccharide and include glucose (also known as dextrose) , fructose ,
galactose.

6) POTASSIUM BISULPHITE – It is a chemical

compound with the chemical formula KHSO3. It is used during the production
of alcoholic beverages as a sterilizing agent. It is made by the reaction sul-
phur dioxide and the reaction of potassium carbonate.
The sulfur dioxide is passed through a solution of the potassium carbonate
until no more carbon dioxide is given off. The solution is concentrated and
then allowed to crystallize.

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 MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR THIS
PROJECT:
SUGAR
GLASS
ROD
CONICAL
FLASKS APPARATUS REQUIRED
100 Ml FOR THIS PROJECT

PROJECT

APPLES POTASSIUM
KNIFE BISULPHITE

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FOOD PRESERVATION:
How we can preserve our food ?
We can preserve our food by following methods:

TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES:
 CURING:
The earliest form of curing was dehydration or drying,
Smoking and salting techniques improve on the drying process and add
antimicrobial agents that aid in preservation. Smoke deposits a number
of pyrolysis products onto the food, including the phenols syringol gua-
iacol and cathechol.Salt accelerates the drying process using osmosis and
also inhibits the growth of several common strains of bacteria . More re-
cently nitrites  have been used to cure meat, contributing a char-
acteristic pink colour.

 COOLING :
Cooling preserves food by slowing down the growth and
reproduction of microorganisms and the action of enzymes that causes the
food to rot. Before the era of mechanical refrigeration, cooling for food
storage occurred in the forms of root cellars and iceboxes. Today, root
cellaring remains popular among people who value various goals, in-
cluding local food, heirloom crops, traditional home cooking tech-
niques, family farming, frugality, self-sufficiency, organic farming, and
others.

 FREEZING:
Freezing is also one of the most commonly used processes, for
preserving a very wide range of foods. For example, potato waffles are
stored in the freezer, but potatoes themselves require only a cool dark
place to ensure many months' storage. Cold stores provide large-volume,

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long-term storage for strategic food stocks held in case of national emer-
gency in many countries.

MODERN INDUSTRIAL TECHNIQUES:

 PASTEURIZATION:
Pasteurization is a process for preservation of liquid food. In this
method, milk is heated at about 70 °C (158 °F) for 15–30 seconds to kill the
bacteria present in it and cooling it quickly to 10 °C (50 °F) to prevent the
remaining bacteria from growing. The milk is then stored in sterilized
bottles or pouches in cold places. This method was invented by Louis
Pasteur, a French chemist, in 1862.

 ARTIFICIAL FOOD ADDITIVES:

Preservative food additives can be antimicrobial — which inhibit the
growth of bacteria  or fungi, including mold - or antioxidant, such as 
oxygen absorbers, which inhibit the oxidation of food constituents.
Common antimicrobial preservatives include calcium propionate, sodium
nitrate, sodium nitrite, sulfites (sulfur dioxide, sodium bisulfite, potassium
hydrogen sulfite, etc.), and EDTA.

 BIOPRESERVATION:
Biopreservation is the use of natural or controlled micro biota or an-
timicrobials as a way of preserving food and extending its shelf life. Benefi-
cial bacteria or the fermentation products produced by these bacteria are
used in biopreservation to control spoilage and render pathogens   inac-
tive in food. Lactic acid bacteria have antagonistic properties that make
them useful as biopreservatives.

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NEED FOR FOOD PRESERVATION:
Preservation of food is done during the months when food is available
at large quantity and therefore at large cost. Reasons of food preservation
are as follows:

1) One of the reason of food preservation is that to take care of the

excess produce.
2) The second reason is that they add variety in our meals.
3) Makes transportation of food cheap and easier for us to live and
survive.

PRINCIPLES OF FOOD PRESERVATION:

A good method of food preservation is one that slows down or prevents
altogether the action of the agents of spoilage. Also, during the process of
food preservation it shouldn’t be damaged. The principles of food
preservation are as follows:

a) Removal of micro – organisms or inactivating

them: This is done by air, water (moisture), lowering or in-
creasing temperature, increasing the concentration of salt or sugar
or acid in foods. F or the preservation of green leafy vegeta-
bles, the water should be removed from the leaf so that micro or-
ganisms cannot survive. This is done by drying the green leaves till
all the moisture evaporates.
b) Inactivating enzymes : Enzymes found in foods can be
inactivated by changing their conditions such as temperature or
moisture. One of the method for preservation of peas is that to put
them in boiling water for few minutes. It will inactivate the
enzymes present in peas.

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ROLE OF FOOD PRESERVATION:
1. Eliminates any potential microbiological harm to the consumer.

2. Maintains quality of food (sensory perceptions).

3. Maintains nutritional value within the food product.

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PROCEDURE OF FOOD PROCESSING:

PROCEDURE:
1. Take 500 g fresh apples. Wash them thoroughly and peel off the
outer layer. Remove the seeds and crush the apples in a mixer.
2.
3. Add about 100 g of sugar and heat the contents slowly for about 10
minutes to prepare jam.

4. During heating keep on stirring the contents.

5. Use this jam for performing the following experiments.

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SAFETY MEASURES WHILE USING KHSO3
AS FOOD PRESERVATIVE:
People with sulphite sensitivity might react poorly to potassium
bisulphite. A sulphite sensitivity usually causes asthma symptoms such as
wheezing or difficulty breathing. Some people may also experience
anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening allergic reaction. If you have a
sensitivity to sulphites, you should avoid any food that contains potassium
bisulphite.

PRINCIPLES:
When potassium bisulphite is dissolved in water, it forms a sulfurous
acid. The acid lowers the pH of the food, which helps inhibit the growth of
harmful organisms, including bacteria such as E. coli, as well as yeast
and mold. The bisulphite oxidize and lose some of its antimicrobial power.
Also prevents browning or discoloration of food Potassium bisulphite is
more stable than potassium sulfite.

STUDY OF EFFECT OF CONCENTRATION

OF POTASSIUM BISULPHITE AND THE EF-
FECT OF TIME:
1. Add 50 g of jam in each of the four conical flasks.
2. To flask A add 0.1 g, flask B 0.2 g, flask C 0.5 g and flask D 1.0 g of
potassium bisulphate.
3. Mix the contents in each flask and leave them undisturbed at room
temperature.
4. For some days check for any growth of micro – organisms after
each day and record the observations in a table.

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 OBSERVATIONS:
Sample Wt. of Jam Wt. of Sugar Wt. of Observation (Days)
No. of Added KHSO3
Bottle 1 2 3 4 5

A) 50 g 5g 0.1 g No change No change No change Few change Few

more
change

B) 50 g 10 g 0.2g No change No change Some Some change Few

change more
change

C) 50 g 15 g 0.5 g No change Few change Some Some change More

change change

RESULT:
As the concentration of potassium bisulphite is increased, the
growth of micro – organisms appears after more day. The minimum
concentration of potassium bisulphate required for preserving jam is ap-
proximately 1%.

STUDY OF EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE:

1) Take three conical flasks and label them as A, B and C. Add 50 g of
jam in each of the three flasks.
2) Add 0.5 of potassium bisulphate to each of the three conical flasks.
3) Keep flask A in a refrigerator, flask B at room temperature and flask
C in an oven maintained at a temperature of 60 ◦ c, leave them
undisturbed for few days.
4) Check for any growth of micro - organisms after each day and record
the observations.

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 OBSERVATIONS:
Sample No. of Wt. of Jam Wt. of Wt. of Observation (Days)
Bottle Added Sugar KHSO3
1 2 3 4 5

A) 50 g 5g 0.5 g No No No Few Some

B) 50 g 5g 0.5 g No No No No Few

C) 50 g 5g 0.5 g No No No No No

RESULT:
The growth of micro – organisms occurs earliest in the flask kpt at room
temperature. The preservation of jam by potassium bisulphate is maximum
at lower temperature (0-5◦ C).

CONCLUTION:
This experiment shows us that KHSO 3 is the viable food preservative whose
increased concentration can increase time for preservation. The fermentation
of food present is directly proportional to temperature conditions.

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