Answer:
Preservatives are the chemical substances which are added to the products like pharmaceuticals, paints, biological samples, foods and many other products to prevent the disintegration or rotting mainly caused by the growth of microbes or due to undesirable chemical changes.Preservations are of 2 types i.e. chemical & physical. Chemical preservation means addition of chemical compounds to the products. Physical preservation means process such as refrigeration & drying. Preservatives aims at decreasing the risk of foodborne infections, reduce microbial spoilage & to improve nutritional quality. Some physical methods used for food preservation include dehydration, freeze drying, refrigeration & UV-C radiation. Chemical And physical preservation are sometimes used in the combination.
The advantages of using the food preservatives are:
- Decrease the moisture content
- Increase the acidity
- Preventing the ripening process( naturally)
- Acts as an antioxidant
- Lowering the food waste
Main properties of ideal preservatives :
- It should not be poisonous
- It should not be irritant
- It should have physical as well as chemical stability
- Preservative must maintain the good compatibility with other ingredients used in the process of developing food
- It should acts as preservative in small concentration
- It should retains activity through food manufacturing, shelf life & usage