The irradiation and chemical additives like methods of food conservation
Biopreservation
¡Hola! Bienvenidos a la 1ra edición de la
revista “Food innovations”, pensada y
creada por los estudiantes del tercer
semestre de Ign. Agroindustrial Angarita
Miguel, Ramos Maria Andreina y Barrios
Nieves e impulsado por la profesora de
la asignatura Ingles II, Doravit Jiminez.
Esperamos que este ejemplar sea de su
agrado y le sirva para conocer las nuevas
tecnologias que se estan implementando
en la agroindustria.
Carta Editorial
2
The irradiation and chemical additives like methods of foodconservation
Some of the future methods of
food preservation are
irradiation and chemical
additives. Although these
methods are currently in use,
they are expected to expand and
develop further. Irradiation of
food is the process of exposing
food to ionizing radiation. This
process can alter the bacteria,
microorganism or virus’ DNA,
without harming the food.
Irradiation is attractive because
of its selective targeting. It is
already used on non-food items.
“The molecular bonds in the
microbial DNA are the main
targets of the irradiation, but
DNA and RNA synthesis,
denaturation of enzymes and
cell membrane alterations may
also be affected”. The process of
irradiation opens the possibility
to process a large number of
foods in great quantities,
however it can be expensive.
The buildings for such a process
require specific infrastructure
and construction that is both
expensive and time consuming.
“The Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), the
International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), and World
Health Organization (WHO)
concluded in their report, that
any food irradiated up to a
maximum dose of 10 kGy is
considered safe and
wholesome”. Essentially three
things were concluded in their
report:
1. It won’t lead to toxicological changes in the food
that will negatively affect our health.
2. The technology won’t increase the microbial risk of
the consumer.
3. Irradiation won’t lead to nutritional losses.
However, most consumers are still radiation-phobic
despite these positive results. They aren’t willing to
buy something that has, in their mind, been radiated
and burned to safety.
3
The irradiation and chemical additives like methods of foodconservationAnother process is the addition of chemicals to preserve the freshness of the food. Consumers
feel that this is a risk because of the unnatural state the food and their bodies are subjected to.
New research has shown that even the most susceptible foods such as a ham and pepperoni
sandwiches can be made to last years. In the TIME article, researchers added chemicals to
the sandwich to ensure the oxygen, moisture and other moist areas did not spread mold or
microorganisms that would harm the freshness or integrity. Lauren Oleksyk , leader of the
food-processing, engineering and technology team at the U.S. Department of Defense
Combat Feeding Directorate mixed water-absorbing ingredients including glycerol and
sorbitol into the filling. They also increased the use of fine, edible polymer films, which are
undetectable in the mouth. These were added to combat moisture that would be detrimental
to the sandwich as it provides a good breeding ground for microorganisms and bacteria. In
addition to the water absorbing ingredients, Oleksky’s team also added oxygen eliminators.
It sounds more intimidating than it is; essentially it is the process of adding oxygen-
scavenging chemicals. Oxygen increases the possibility of spoilage to the food. By adding
these chemicals, it limits the microorganism’s chance to grow and thrive, and also inhibits
the sandwich’s ability to change chemically.
4
GM foods that include modified DNAand/or protein include fruits,vegetables, corn and soy. Corn and soyare also consumed after modificationsthat remove most/all DNA/protein.
There is broad scientific consensus that food
on the market derived from GM crops poses
no greater risk to human health than
conventional food. However, opponents have
objected to GM foods on grounds including
safety, environmental impact and the fact that
some GM seeds that are food sources are
subject to intellectual property rights and
owned by corporations.
6
The Future of FoodPreservation
High-Pressure Processing (HPP)A potentially
groundbreaking and safe process of foodpreservation is high pressurepreservation. Dr. V.M. Balasubramaniam,a food engineer from Ohio StateUniversity, is developing a process wherefood is attacked with 100,000 pounds persquare inch of pressure. In a Discovermagazine article, David Freedmanexplains the process in which HighPressure Processing works. The food ispackaged in a plastic bag and then putinto the first compartment. Thatcompartment is also filled with water, tohelp with the pressure. The secondcompartment is filled with hydraulic fluid,which is used to press the piston betweenthe two compartments. When even morehydraulic fluid is pushed into the secondcompartment, the piston is pushed upinto the first compartment. The waterbecomes more condensed,
and as a result the pressure in the first compartment increases rapidly. After only a few minutes, any
food can be ready to eat. While every other process we have discussed thus far has had some negative
side effects, HPP appears to be the perfect solution. Because no chemicals are added, there is no
contamination or taste alteration to the food. The bacteria in the food remain intact; however they die
due to the pressure-induced dismantlement of their DNA structure. Almost all foods are able to be
pressurized in the machine. The only exception is some veggies and fruits, which get too pulverized.
The only major drawback to HPP is simple – the cost. High-pressure machines typically cost $3
million. This technology is so new, and therefore companies have not found a cheap and efficient way
to mass produce these machines. However, with due time, we expect to see high pressure food
preservation machines available to the public at a reasonable cost. This technology is simply too good
to reserve for large industrial food processing plants.
Dr. V.M.
Balasubramaniam
7
and as a result the pressure in the first compartment increases rapidly. After only a few
minutes, any food can be ready to eat. While every other process we have discussed thus
far has had some negative side effects, HPP appears to be the perfect solution. Because
no chemicals are added, there is no contamination or taste alteration to the food. The
bacteria in the food remain intact; however they die due to the pressure-induced
dismantlement of their DNA structure. Almost all foods are able to be pressurized in the
machine. The only exception is some veggies and fruits, which get too pulverized. The
only major drawback to HPP is simple – the cost. High-pressure machines typically cost
$3 million. This technology is so new, and therefore companies have not found a cheap
and efficient way to mass produce these machines. However, with due time, we expect to
see high pressure food preservation machines available to the public at a reasonable cost.
This technology is simply too good to reserve for large industrial food processing
plants.
Esquema de funcionamiento de una unidad de HPP
Una ventaja del procesado por
altas presiones es que respeta
la calidad sensorial y
nutricional del alimento
debido a la ausencia de
tratamiento térmico,
permitiendo mantener la
frescura original a lo largo de
su vida útil.
8
Freedman, David H. (2 Sept. 2011. Web. 4 May 2012). [ En linea ] Discover Magazine. Bright, Hi-Tech Future of Food Preservation.Disponible: http://discovermagazine.com/2011/sep/17-impatient-futurist-hi-tech-future-food-preservation
What is High Pressure?(2012).[ En linea ]. Hiperbaric. Disponible: http://www.hiperbaric.com/en/high-pressure
Food preservation. (16 June 2015). wikipedia: Fundación Wikimedia, Inc. Disponible: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_preservation
Biotechnologies in Agro-industry in Developing Countries (July 2010). [ En linea ] fao: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Disponible: http://www.fao.org/biotech/sectoral-overviews/agro-industry/en/
Genetically modified food. (13 June 2015).Wikipedia:Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Disponible: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food
Bibliografía
12
P R O C E S O S S
R O T U L M B G O
E H F Z K U O Ñ T
S G D X G Y V P N
E T E Z V T M J E
R E F N M P G Z M
V W A D E Ñ K S I
A A Y L U T Q A L
C I M A Q U I N A
I O P R Q E F C J
O S O V I T I D A
N B W U X O C N M
1.- PROCESOS2.-PRESERVACION3.-ALIMENTO4.-GENETICA5.-ADITIVOS6.-MAQUINA
Entretenimiento
13
Angarita Miguel,
Ramos Maria Andreina
Barrios Nieves
profesora de la asignatura
Ingles II, Doravit Jiminez.
14/14