Technology and Livelihood Education 7

4TH Quarter Handout

Food Preservation

Lesson 1: Meat and Poultry Processing

Meat is used to describe animal parts that are eaten as food. The internal organs of a butchered
animal are called offal. Meat is considered a perishable food. The moist surface of meat is prone to
bacteria contamination. Variety of meats, cured and uncured ,should be stored.

Kinds of Meat
Meat is made up of muscle fibers connected by an authorized inspector or veterinarian and be
declared fit for human consumption. The different classifications of meat are:

1 Pork from hog or pig

5 Carabeef from carabao

2 Veal from calves or young cattle

6 Chevon from goat

3 Beef from adult cow

7 Lamb from young sheep

4 Venison from deer

8 Mutton from adult sheep


Market Forms of Meat

1. Fresh Forms of Meat is a form of meat after slaughter that has not undergone chilling. It is
usually sold in public markets.
2. Chilled meat has been kept cold above freezing point within 24 hours after slaughter for it t
be sold in supermarkets and meat shops.
3. Frozen meat is meat stored in the freezer. It is sold in this appearance and is as hard as a
stone.
4. Cured or processed meat are products that have been cured with preservative agents,
Tocino,ham and longganisa are cured or processed meat. Canned meats and other kinds like
rolled meat and meat pies are likewise included.

Characteristics of the Different Types of Meat Cuts

1. Tender cuts are taken from animal parts that have less muscle activity and are plump like
sirloin and tenderloin.
2. Less tender cuts are cuts that come from the muscle parts most used by animal, like hocks,
chuck , and flank.
3. Tough cuts are cuts that necessitate longer cooking like bulalo.

Market Forms of Pork and Beef Cuts.

Pork Cuts
 Beef Cuts

Buying the Right Kind of Meat

A chef or cook should have knowledge to buy the right kind of meat. Below are reminders that a
chef or cook keeps in mind when buying meat. Remember them also to help you buy the right kind
of meat.

1. Buy clean meat sold by those who observe good sanitation and hygiene. The meat
preparation area with the cutting boards and knives should be free from dirt and is kept clean
at all times.
2. Look for the inspected and stamped marks that ensure those are real meat from cows,
carabaos and pig, etc.
3. Be knowledgeable of the different cuts of meat for the different recipes to be prepared.
4. Beef must be bright red in color with yellow fat. Pork must be light pink in color, firm with
white fat.
5. Meat should have a fresh smell and free from slime.
6. Buy frozen or refrigerated meats from those who have reliable refrigeration equipment.
7. Meat should be properly wrapped with plastic bags or clean wrapping materials.

Poultry
Poultry refers to domesticated birds such as chicken, duck (itik) goose, turkey, pigeon, squab
and quail. Poultry provides a lot of protein vitamin B, iron phosphorus and fat. Frozen poultry has the
same nutritive value as fresh poultry.

Types of Chicken Poultry

1. Broiler or fryer is a young chicken whose meat is tender and soft and skin is smooth.
2. A roaster is usually four to six months old chosen for grilling or roasting.
3. A stag is a male chicken less than ten months old.
4. A hen is a female chicken bred for more than ten months.
5. A rooster is a mature male chicken with rough skin and dark meat.
6. A jumbo chicken is considered large chicken if it weighs about 4 kg or more.
7. The Peking duck, which originated from China, is famous for its tenderness and delicious
meat.
8. The duck or “itik" is available in many places in the Philippines. Its eggs are made into balut.

Market Forms of Poultry

1 Live poultry should have clear eyes .If a chicken is young, its feathers are small and its feet
fine,

2 Whole poultry refers to poultry carcass from which feathers have been removed; the head ,
feet, and innards are still intact.

3 Dressed poultry refer to poultry carcass from which feathers and innards have been
removed. The skin of dressed poultry should be smooth and yellowish and the breast must be
plump with no foul odor.

4 Choice cuts of poultry are poultry parts packed I a box or plastic and are usually frozen or
chilled. Examples are drumsticks, wings, necks, breasts, gizzards, and liver.

Lesson 2: Methods of Processing Meat and Poultry

Processed meat that has been preserved by methods such as canning ,salting, drying or smoking ,
chilling ,freezing and curing.

Ingredients in Meat Processing

Food additives are mixture of concentrates added to food as a result of production and
processing. They usually added in small and exact amounts to maintain and improve the nutritional
quality of the food, enhance its stability and make it appetizing.Food additives lengthen the storage
life and more importantly, aid processing meat.

A. Food additives

1. Preservatives are added to food to prevent the growth of bacteria, which are instrumental
to food spoilage. Examples of preservatives include the following:

* salt, sugar, and vinegar

* saltpeter (for curing)

*sulfur dioxide (anti-browning agent for fruits and vegetables)

*Benzoic acid (for fruit juices and jellies)

2. Emulsifiers are added to food to prevent separation of food ingredients like oil and
vinegar. Ordinarily, the two would not mix into one liquid. But when emulsified, they
transform into one liquid. Examples include:

*egg is an example of natural emulsifier

*Lecithin, a fat found in soy and other food products

Some food emulsified are margarine, bread, and cakes.

3. Stabilizers are added to food to improved consistency and texture usually

polysaccharide food gums. Example are guar gum, carrageenan and gelatin used in ice
cream and other food products.

B. Sugar is a sweet substance from sugarcane or sugar beet juice.

1. Refined sugar is sugar that has been purified of unwanted impurities.

2. Brown sugar consists of sugar crystals coated in molasses syrup.

C. Spices are taken from the seeds, stems, barks, fruits, and leaves of plants, Spices are very
pungent, aromatic, and flavorful. Cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves are examples.

D. Salt heightens the flavor of various food.

1. Rock salt is grayish in color. It is less refined than iodized salt. When using rock salt for
cooking, be sure it is food –grade.

2. Iodized salt is salt that has small amounts of iodine added.

3. Sea salt, which is distilled from sea waters, can be fine or coarsely ground.

E. Water gives a different texture to products. Water may be hard or soft. Hard water is water
that contains a high amount of dissolved minerals, such as magnesium and calcium. Soft
water is treated water, its minerals removed. Running or drinking water from an indoor tap
is tap water. There are distilled water and purified water, too.

Methods of Processing Meat and Poultry

1. Canning. This is a combination of heating to kill spoilage bacteria and inactive enzymes and
sealing the food in an airtight container to prevent contamination. Processed foods are
subjected to high temperature to kill microorganisms.

2. Sun and Air Drying. This is when meat and poultry are sun dried or air dried to remove
moisture. Such action prevents the growth of molds and maintains the quality of the product.

 3. Salting and Curing. These are processing and preserving by using high salt concentration.
The salt holds back microorganisms and the action of enzymes.
Processed meat and poultry are seeped out of salt with water before they are eaten or
utilized. The term curing means submersion of food products in a solution of curing salts,
such as when curing ham, bacon, or corned beef.

4. Dehydration and Smoking. These were used in the olden times to remove moisture from
food. Dehydration uses artificially heated air with controlled conditions of temperature,
humidity, and airflow. Smoking is usually supplementary to salting and drying. Salt lowers the
moisture content of the product. In smoking, the product is placed close to the fire and the
food is cooked as well as saturated with smoke.

Lesson 3: Marketing and Packaging of Processed Meat and Poultry Products

Packaging lengthens the shelf life of food. It also contributes on marketing processed
products by making them clean, attractive and constantly sanitized. Moreover’ packaging
depends the processed food form insects, damage, spoilage. and contamination by any
unacceptable materials.

Different Packaging Materials and Their Qualities

1. Aluminum foil that is odorless and nontoxic.
2. Glassine paper is made of wood fiber. It is able to control moisture and suitable for frozen
and smoked meat and poultry.
3. Saran film is a thermoplastic resin and is used for vacuum sealing frozen food. It can
contract and adjust to the irregular shape of products.
4. Edible packages as in casing of sausages, frozen steaks.
5. Laminated wrappings made from two or more combined materials.
6. Polyethylene that shield the product against the loss or gain of moisture.
7. Wooden boxes that protect the product from breakage and compression.
8. Metal drums and pails.
9. Some local packaging materials that can be used for food that requires immediate cooking
like banana leaves, palm leaves, coconut leaves, and bamboo sticks.

Qualities of Good Packaging

1. It should be appropriate for the product.
2. It should maintain the freshness and appearance of the product.
3. It should be dead set against grease, bacteria, and insects and rodents.
4. It should be moisture resistant.
5. It should appear clean and safe.
6. It should protect the processed food from handling transporting, and physical damage.

Considerations when Choosing Packaging Materials for Processed Meat and Poultry
1. Product composition. Processed food differ in composition and texture; some are soft, some
have the tendency to gel at varied temperatures, and some let loose of fats or grease.
2. Size and shape pf the processed food. Packaging, materials should match the size and shape
of the food to prevent damage from handling.
3. Odor and aroma of food. Certain processed food loose its aroma if not packaged properly.
The packaging materials should restrict the change of desirable odor and aroma into
unacceptable smell resulting in spoilage.
4. Appearance and color of food. Excessive light can cause discoloration. Choose packaging
materials that protect the product from strong lighting.
5. Aesthetic appearance. This includes appropriateness of design, color, and size.
Steps in Costing Processed Meat and Poultry
1. List all the ingredients used in the recipe.

2. Determine the cost of each ingredient.

3. Total the cost of the ingredients used and divide bye the number of portion or yield of the
recipe. The result is the cost of each portion.

4. The cost of operation, packaging, and labor should be added to the cost per portion.

5. Decide on the markup percentage (profit) to arrive at the selling price per portion. If the
markup is 45 percent, you may follow this formula

Selling price = cost per portion x percentage markup

Example:

Yield :2 portions (if will be sold by half kilo)

Beef Tapa Price

1kilogram beef sirloin P250.00

1 ½ tablespoon salt P 2.00

2 tablespoons sugar 10.00

1 teaspoon curing salt 5.00

½ teaspoon ground pepper 3.00

-------------

P270.00 Total cost of ingredients

*P270.00 divided by 2 portions = P135.00 cost per portion.

*Add the cost of operation (can be about P50.00).

*You will arrive at P185.00 per portion cost.

Markup :45% (profit)

*Compute for the equivalent amount of the 45% that is:

P185.00 x .45% = P83.25

*P185.00 + P83.25 = P268.25 (selling price)

The entrepreneur may lower the markup profit if he or she so desires.

FRUIT PRESERVATION

LESSON 1: Production of Processed Fruits and Vegetables

The Philippines, being in the tropics, has soil well suited for growing fruits and vegetables.
Filipinos eat raw fruits and some vegetables such as lettuce. They also use fruits and vegetables as
part of a meat or fish dish.

Various kinds of fruits and vegetables requires various climatic conditions. For instance, some
vegetables thrive at colder areas like cabbages, carrots, and beans. Moreover, more vegetables are
harvested during the first half of the year because of the cool and dry weather. That follows is a table
indicating the country’s seasonal fruit produce. Table 1 is an update of an adapted page in Sonia de
Leon’s Preservations of the Philippines Food manual (1982). It will help you identify which fruits are in
season when buying at the neighborhood wet markets or supermarkets inside malls.

The Importance of Fruits and Vegetable Processing

The processing of fruits and vegetables have provided a means of livelihood for many Filipinos,
especially the homemakers. This means of livelihood somehow improves their quality of life and aids in the
economic growth of the country. Processed fruits and vegetables offer convenience in terms of availability and
waste disposal. Processed fruits and vegetables, such as canned tomatoes, pineapples, and pimientos, lessen
the time required in preparing a meal because of the time required in preparing a meal of the ready ingredients.

Because of these contributions, fruits and vegetables should be carefully processed and/or prevent
spoilage leading to their becoming a health hazard.

The eating quality of fruits and vegetable do not last long. Fruits and vegetables tend to spoil easily and
eventually lose their flavor, color, and nutritive value. Through processing, wastage can be reduce for/and fruits
fruits and vegetables do no spoil and deteriorate but retain their best flavor, color, texture, and nutrient content.

Causes of Fruit and Vegetable Spoilage

It is a basic knowledge that natural food are perishable because they are biological materials and are a
great source of all enzymes, Molds, yeast, and bacteria are found everywhere. Food like fruits and vegetables
are exposed to such. When conditions are favorable, these spoilage agents develop and multiply in fruits and
vegetables, which manifest in changes, in appearance, flavor, and texture of such food.

Chemicals can likewise cause fruits and vegetable spoilage. The evidence of white or grayish powder,
for example, shows that vegetables have been sprayed with chemicals and may be present around the stems
of fruits and at the leaves and stems of some vegetables like cabbage cauliflower, celery, and lettuce. These
vegetables must be washed thoroughly before cooking or processing.

Indeed, fruits and vegetables age and change in quality. From the moment they are harvested, they go
into decline. You have to know these tips in selecting fruits and vegetables for you to make an informed
decision when buying produce from the neighborhood wet market or grocery store.

Tips in Selecting and Buying Fruits

1. Buy fruits in season that are less expensive than those out of season fruits.

2. Buy fruits in the morning, if possible, when fruits are relatively fresh.

3. Try not to buy fruits in large quantities; they have high perishability.

4. Choose fruits with good color and aroma.

5. Select fruits that are ripe but not bruised and soft.

6. Check the weight of the fruit; heavy fruits are known to be the best choice.

7. Fruits should be plump and fully mature; for ripe bananas and ripe mangoes, they must have
yellow skin and be sweet and juicy.

8. Fruits should be heavy, aromatic, free from decay and diseases, and a bit soft.

9. Citrus Fruits should be fine-grained, thin-skinned, and smooth.

10. Pineapple should be yellowish brown and heavy in relation to size.

Tips in Selecting and Buying Vegetables

1. Choose fresh, young, and free from decay leafy vegetables.

2. Avoid dry seeds or legumes that are powdery and have holes.

3. Buy vegetables that are in season.

4. Pick out vegetables that are free of bruises or dark spots.

5. Buy quality vegetables and make sure they are serve your specific purposes of buying them.

6. Root crops must be free from dirt and dark spots. They must be firm.

7. Beans should be firm, clean, tender, and crisp.

8. Cabbage should be hard, heads are compact, and greenish in color.

9. Carrots and cucumbers should be firm, fresh, well-shaped, and crisp.

10. Eggplants should be firm, heavy, and free from decay and unwanted marks.

11. Squash should be bright-colored and has hard skin.

LESSON 2: Method of Processing Fruits and Vegetables

The methods of fruits and vegetable processing include sugar preservation, fermentation, pickling, and
canning. These methods aims to prevent microbial disintegration, delay self-decomposition of food, and
protect food from damage due to insects, rodents, dusts, fumes, odor, fire, and water.

A. Sugar Preservation is cooking fruits and vegetables gradually with sugar in turn the fruits or vegetable
juice is replaced by a saturated sucrose syrup, A variety of fruits and vegetables can be processed by
sugar preservation, some of which are mango, papaya, langka, guava, santol, kundol, kamias, pomelo,
and others.

In general, the sugar fruits ratio is ¾ part of sugar to ¼ part of fruits by weight. The fruits are
simmered for about 5-10 minutes then cooled, Sugar draws out the water that dilutes the syrup an it
also penetrates the fruit. Adding sugar concentration is achieved by boiling off water or by increasing
the sugar.

Jellies, jams pastillas, and candied fruits are examples of food products that underwent sugar
preservation. Candied or glazed fruits are like fruit preserves, which are fruits or combination of fruits
cooked in syrup until soft and clear. Candied or glazed fruits, unlike fruit preserves though, are drained
of syrup and are allowed to dry. Jams are made by cooking chopped, ground, mashed, or crushed soft
fruits with sugar. Jellies are prepared from juice strained from the fruit.

B. Fermentation and pickling are two very similar methods to treat perishable food. Fermentation is the
anaerobic oxidation of carbohydrates by microbial enzymes. Fermentation is useful for many kinds of
food and beverages (e.g., cheese, bread, vinegar, soy sauce, beer, and wine.) Pickling is the
preservation of food through soaking and storing such in vinegar or brine solution. Cucumbers,
papayas, and eggs are examples of foods used in pickling. Pickling is usually done to food with bland
taste.

How to Prevent Spoilage in Pickles

Some ways of preventing spoilage in pickles are the following:

1. Wash fruits and vegetables adequately enough.

2. Use sanitized utensils and equipment.

3. Ensure suitable concentration of brine.

4. Control scum (yeast and molds) formation; scum should be removed often.

5. Cover the jar/s with plastic to control formation of scum.

6. Preserve pickles by proper pasteurization-it lengthens the shelf life of pickles.

7. Make sure vegetables and fruits in the brine at all times.

C. Canning is preserving food by heating it in can or glass containers evenly and hermetically sealing
such. Canning fruits and vegetables in water has helped make the preparation of delicious and
nutritious meals very convenient.

Fruits and vegetables may be canned through hot pack, cold pack, and open-kettle methods.

1. In the hot pack method, the fruit is heated in syrup, water, or steam before being pack. The mixture
should be close to the boiling point before putting into glass jars or cans.

2. In the cold pack method, the raw fruit is placed into container then it is covered with hot liquid syrup,
water or extracted juice. Raw fruits should be packed tightly to allow shrinkage

 3. The open-kettle method is done by placing hot food in sterilized bottles or containers and sealing
without further processing.

If you are using glass jars to can fruits and vegetables, slide the blade of a knife or rubber
spatula down the sides of the jar to remove air bubbles.

When cans are used, heat the filled open cans. The temperature must be at least 75 degree
Celsius when the cans are sealed; exhausting makes the trapped air escape.

Hundreds of hectares are allocated to vegetable and fruit production in the country, the table
below lists vegetables and fruits that are grown locally. It is also lists the processing possibilities done
by both big and small scale industries to such. It will help you choose which ones you want to try
processing in school or at home.

LESSON 3: Cost of Production and Marketing of Processed Fruits and Vegetables

Marketing refers to the building up of a demand finding of potential buyers and transacting or
negotiating the product price and terms of sale. Moreover, marketing or selling is an activity directed at
satisfying the buyers’ needs and wants through an exchange process.

Remember that in the production of marketing of processed fruits and vegetables, the two types of
expenses, production cost and operating expenses, discussed in the previous chapter apply.

Factors in Marketing Products

There are factors that affect marketing products, which are processed fruits and vegetables in this case.
The factors are as follows:

1. Establishing or Initiating a Demand

This can be done through the newspaper, television, radio, billboard, and flyer. An entrepreneur
should be persuasive enough in making customers buy his or her products.

2. Searching for Customers

An entrepreneur who sells products must reach out to customers. This means working hard to
locate a good market. This can be done through posting on the internet, creating websites for the
products, hiring salespersons, and calling possible customers.

3. Negotiating the Price and Terms

In marketing, an entrepreneur must constantly discuss the time of payment, the person who will pay
for the delivery, and the delivery schedule.

Importance of Marketing

The success of every entrepreneur is dependent on his or her ability to sell. Selling is important for the
following reasons:

1. It helps obtain the needed cash immediately.

2. It introduces a new product to the market.

3. It aids in exposing and promoting the product.

4. It benefits the business by gaining more profit.

Pricing the Processed Fruits and Vegetables

The success of the business transactions depends on the willingness of the customers to buy the
products at the assigned price an on the willingness of the sellers to sell the products at the same price.

The Income of a business earns after covering all expenses is called profit. There are number of
methods an entrepreneur can adopt for pricing his or her product. Some are complicated, others are simple
doubling of the product’s cost of materials and labor. Another method is finding out competitors prices for the
same product and trying to lessen the obtained prices to arrive at the price for the entrepreneur’s own product.
There’s should be a close relationship between price, cost, and expenses and the amount of profit. The
entrepreneur should consider a realistic profit based on the market prices that can be charged. The method
below cam be used:

Formula: Total sales or Total Cost of Orders-Production Expenses = Gross Profit

Gross Profit- Operating Expenses = net Profit

Example:

Total Sales P 10,000.00

Production Expenses 3,000.00

Gross Profit 7,000.00

Gross Profit P 7,000.00

Operating Expenses 2,500.00

Net Profit 4,500.00

Packaging Processed Fruits and Vegetables

Any type of packaging is dependent on the form, texture, and nature of the product. Some packaging
criteria that should be considered are the following:

1. Protection- The packaging should protect the product from where it came from to its destination, the
distribution scheme that it undergoes, and the time or duration the protection is required. Packaging
materials must act as a fence for unwanted contaminants. One of the causes of products deterioration
is moistening or watering of the product may happen during the distribution and transport. Moreover,
many products can be affected by acquiring external odors while being transported or stored.

2. Durability- Packaging materials must withstand the distribution stresses that may be encountered.
These distribution stressed include incorrect stacking, dropping the package that.

3. Exterior Appearance. If an entrepreneur wants to get the attention of the customers, he or she should
make sure that the packaging is attractive and represents the products’ identity. The packaging should
clearly give information about the ingredients and display the products price. The appearance should
motivate the customer to buy the product.

4. Disposability- The disposability of the packaging should adhere to the rules on waste disposal. The
use of the impractical and useless resources must be lessened to the great extent. Waste reduction
must be the top priority of the entrepreneur when it comes to be choice of packaging.

5. Cost-Packaging should always offer a minimum overall cost to the seller. Nonetheless, the seller,
considering the cost of the packaging to be kept at minimum, should make sure that the required
functions of packaging are present or the business may incur losses.

 Vacuum Packaging
Food maintains freshness and flavor three or five time longer when vacuum packaged.

In vacuum packaging air is removed from the package. The package is then hermetically sealed to
maintain to vacuum. Moist foods like cured meat, smoked fish, and fresh vegetable and fruits and suitable
for this kind of packaging.

Advantages of Vacuum Packaging

Vacuum packaging offers several advantages. They are listed below.

1. Vacuum packaging protects the product from bacteria and growth of fungi, hence lessening the
occurrence of food borne illness.

2. It prevents spoilage or deterioration in flavor and texture of the product.

3. It prevents “freezer burn” that can lead to unpleasant changes in flavor and texture.

4. It reduces the amount of food wastes that need to be discarded.

5. It permits for proper portioning and control of food quantities served, used, or eaten.

6. It helps extend the shelf life of a product.

Remember that vacuum packaging is still not a substitute for canning or dehydration, but it will be good
to consider it since vacuum packed foods taste fresh and last long.

Prepared by : Ms.Armie I.Arangote

Reference : Technology and Livelihood Education 8 by Josephine C.Bernardino et.al