1. Food and
Microbes
Test 6 Notes

2. CANNING
is the process of heating the product at a specified temperature for a specific length of time (pasteurizing)
vacuum sealing the pasteurized food in special glass jars
fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood,
and some prepared foods.
Home Methods VS Industrial Methods

3. FREEZING is the process of chilling foods to at least 0°F.
It can be used with all foods
True freezing is not possible in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator where the temperature is typically much warmer, between 10°F to 32°F.
Easy method

4. DRYING
is the process of dehydrating foods until there is not enough moisture to support microbial activity.
It can be used with most foods
Several different techniques, relatively easy to do and require no special equipment.
Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MRE)

5. FERMENTING
is the process of encouraging the growth of “good bugs” to inhibit the “bad bugs” that can spoil food.
It can be used with many types of foods
Produce a wide range of products such as wine (from grapes), sauerkraut (cabbage), cured sausage (meat), and yogurt (milk).
produced without any special equipment.

6. PICKLING
is the process of soaking food in a solution
containing salt, acid, or alcohol.
It can be used with most foods
Most methods require no special
equipment.
However, pickled foods can be unsafe if prepared carelessly or stored at room temperature.
Pickling is often combined with another method, such as fermenting, canning, or just refrigerating

7. CURING
is similar to pickling, and uses salt, acid, and/or nitrites.
It is used for meat and fish.
Simple, modern curing methods often reduce the amount of salt and nitrites, which may require that you refrigerate or freeze the final product.
Some curing methods also employ a secondary process such as fermenting, smoking, or sealing.

8. SMOKING
is a complementary process to curing that improves flavor and appearance, and can also act as a drying agent.
Smoked meats are less likely to turn rancid or grow mold than unsmoked meats.

9. SEALING
is a process of covering food to keep out air, which delays (but does not stop) the activity of spoilage organisms.
It is used primarily as a complementary process to other methods such as drying or freezing.
Both fat sealing and vacuum sealing methods are relatively easy.

10. Importance of Bacteria
It would be impossible to make cheese without a starter
culture. As the culture grows in the milk, it converts the sugar lactose into lactic acid, which ensures the correct level of acidity and gives the cheese it
In yogurt and other fermented milk products, the culture is
responsible for the taste and texture of the final product.
Probiotic cultures have become popular in dairy products because of their health benefits
Meat starter cultures are used to make dried, fermented
products such as salami, pepperoni, chorizo and dried ham
Yeasts are responsible for the fermentation process which produces alcohol in wine.