how do preservatives work?
In: Chemistry
From what I understand, moisture is the main determining factor for food spoilage. Most preservation techniques for food simply make it very difficult for bacteria to multiply in whatever the environment of the food product is, either by making it extremely dry or making the existing moisture uninhabitable for bacteria.
By slowing down the growth of the bacteria that make things go bad. Most bacteria can’t live well on things that are very salty, for example, and that’s why things like beef jerky last a long time.
Depends on the preservatives. For one example, we seal things in airtight containers, and either suck all the air out, or replace it with nitrogen. Without oxygen (certain) bacteria can survive. And you also keep the texture. It allows to product to not dry out (like donuts for example) or to stay dry (like chips.)
Or we can use salt. If you take near, and bury it in a bucket of salt, that salt pulls water out of the meat. No water, means no bacteria. It also pulls water out of the existing bacteria, which kills it, and it won’t make you sick.
Bacteria is the most common reason for food spoilage and for a bacterial cell to grow, it needs a favorable environment just like how you might prefer to live in states with weather like California vs living in Satan’s asshole of a state called Arizona. Preservatives changes certain environmental conditions for those bacteria and hence slows/prevents their growth.
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