The document outlines various food preservation methods including canning, freezing, drying, fermenting, pickling, curing, smoking, and sealing, highlighting techniques and safety considerations. It emphasizes the role of microbes in food processing, such as the use of starter cultures in cheese and yogurt production and the fermentation process for alcoholic beverages. The document also addresses the importance of sanitation in animal processing and provides a schedule for upcoming lessons on microbial diseases.

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.

11. Animal Slaughter
 Many countries have poor
sanitation and animal
processing methods
 What do we know about the
growth of bacteria?
 How would the “normal
microbiota” help in the
breakdown of tissue? How
would the “normal
microbiota” influence the
growth of “bad bacteria.”

12. How do these processes
compare? Sanitary wise?
Microbial growth?
African Cow
Australian Sheep

13. What’s
Next?
Tuesday: Local Culture
Wednesday: Brief Review of
Methods and Articles
Thursday: In Computer Lab
Friday: Quiz/Mini Test over Methods &
Computer lab if needed
Monday: Start Microbial diseases of Skin
and Eyes