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Different Preservatives

Preservatives are added to food to extend shelf life, to preserve the look or appearance of the item and to prevent these products from spoiling. Humans have been preserving food over the ages in numerous ways. The earliest methods were through the use of salt, sugar and vinegar, and in fact, these methods are still used. More modern ways of preserving include refrigeration and freezing foods in addition to chemical additives.

  1. Natural Preservatives

    • Sugar is used to preserve fruit.

      Natural preservatives such as sugar, salt, vinegar and alcohol have long been used by human beings to preserve food. Sugar and pectin, which is a naturally occurring substance found in some fruits, are used in fruit preserves and jams and jellies. Salt is still used to preserve fish and beef, while vinegar is the natural preservative of choice for pickling cucumbers and other vegetables. Adding spices to food can also help to preserve the taste, quality and length of time that the food will remain fresh.

    Antimicrobial Preservatives

    • Red wine usually contains sulfites.

      Any substance that stops, controls or slows the activity of bacteria and mold is considered an antimicrobial preservative. Salt and sugar, which are natural preservatives, can also be considered as such since they perform the same action. Many chemicals such as sulfites, sodium nitrites, benzoic acid and sulfur dioxide also fall into this category. Luncheon meats such as bologna and ham are preserved with nitrites, and red wine and dried fruits almost always contains sulfites.

    Antioxidant Preservatives

    • Capsules often have antioxidants added to keep them fresh.

      Certain antioxidants such as butylated hydroxytoluene, sodium bisulphite and tocopherols are used as preservatives. Antioxidants are chemicals that slow fats from turning rancid and therefore help food and pharmaceutical drugs to remain fresh. When oxidation occurs, foods acquire an unpleasant smell and a bad taste and become discolored.

    Metal Chelates

    • Rubbing lemon over a sliced apple will stop the browning effect.

      Metal chelates such as citric and ascorbic acid are a group of natural and artificial preservatives that prevent fruits from ripening naturally by inhibiting or slowing the way phenolase works. Most people know that rubbing lemon on a sliced apple will slow the apple from turning brown. This happens because of the phenolase enzyme in the lemon. The initials EDTA, which stands for ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, can often be found in the ingredient list of many packaged foods; this is one of several chemical chelators that makes it difficult for enzymes to do their work of oxidizing and ripening.

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