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Food preservation techniques are important because food is one of our most basic necessities. Without food preservation we would have no way to keep food from going bad very quickly. Food preservation processes include everything from refrigerating, freezing and canning, to dehydrating, freeze drying, salting, pickling, and more. The act of preserving food either kills the bacteria in the food or it slows down the bacteria so that the food last longer.

When it comes to food storage, the most common preservation processes are refrigerating and freezing. Freezing is an easy way to stop the “damage” that bacteria does to food. When bacteria are frozen they can not spoil things like meat, vegetables, and frozen meals. Refrigerating does not kill or stop the damage done by bacteria, but it greatly slows down the bacteria so that food doesn’t spoil as quickly.

Canning is a preservation technique that has been around since around 1825. Canning is still a great way to preserve food today. It extends the life of food by a substantial amount of time. It is great for food storage or for daily eating. Canned food must first be boiled. This kills all the bacteria in the food. Then the food is quickly canned to prevent it from being exposed to other bacteria.

Dehydrated foods include things like dried meat, dried vegetables, powdered milk, powdered soup, and so on. The dehydration process alters foods more than many other preservation processes. In many cases it actually turns one food into a completely different product–like beef being turned into beef jerky, for example. Dehydrated food is highly popular because it has an incredibly long shelf life.

Freeze drying is a popular choose for home food storage. It can be stored at room temperature and is extremely lightweight and compact. It can also last for years without spoiling. Freeze drying is one of the only preservation processes which doesn’t alter the food. When reconstituted the food gains back its original aroma, texture, nutritional value, and taste. Many families buy pre-made freeze dried meals for food storage, emergency preparedness, and daily eating.

Salting is a preservation process that is mostly used with meats. Salted meats can last for years if they are preserved in a specific way. Salt draws moisture out of foods and it kills off bacteria.

Pickling is a process which uses both salt and an acid. The combination of salt and acid makes an incredibly inhospitable environment for bacteria. In the past, pickling was used to preserve many different items for food storage purposes. Today, it is used most often to turn cucumbers into pickles.