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Commercially manufactured foods are designed to be safe. A number of
common preservation methods are used to destroy microbes or stop them
from growing, including:
- heat treatments such as pasteurisation and sterilisation
- canning
- low temperature storage, for example, refrigeration and freezing
- the addition of chemical preservatives, such as organic acids and
nitrites
- natural antimicrobial products, such as nisin
- fermentation
- control of water content through drying, salting or smoking
- modification
of the atmosphere in which the food is packed, for example, vacuum
packing and gas packing.
Less
widely-used preservation methods include high pressure and irradiation,
together with novel technologies such as treatment with electricity
or pulsed light treatment. There remains a slight possibility that foods
can become contaminated after processing. This can largely be avoided
if everyone involved in handling food follows a good hygienic practices.
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